There is something important called the general election happening right now. On May the 6th (3 days from today), the citizens of the United Kingdom will elect one MP for each of the 650 constituencies to the House of Commons(1). There has been a lot of firsts in this election: The first televised series of three political debates, and this: my first honest public assessments of the three political parties. Bookapharmacist.com is apolitical but we believe politics is important: Politics is important in shaping the quality of service we deliver to our patients in my (our) NHS. I am writing this not to influence your vote (hence the short time lag between the election date and publication) but to reflect on what the main political parties have offered and are offering; impact on pharmacy and a glimpse at the future configuration of the NHS.
The Pharmacy vote
A lot might or might not have been made of the pharmacy vote. This is reminiscent of the Motorway Man (2) and the Wheelbarrow Student (sorry…next election!). It assumes, probably, that pharmacists are a homogeneous mix of voters. The actual fact is that my profession is made up of individuals who will vote on the basis of which political party will progress their personal, professional and patients’ interests in a joined up NHS. On this basis, there is no single pharmacy vote. On a personal level, I favour a progressive and fair system of government. Extreme left or extreme right views has almost always tended to be irrational. Arguments are and will be won from the centre. To my colleagues who are still undecided, the folks at Chemist and Druggist has have devoted a page to the election (3). You can assess what each political party will do for you and your profession. I have exercised my right and I hope you would too. I will expand on this later. [click to continue…]
With glowing hearts, United States of America bagged 9 Gold medals, 15 silver medals and 13 bronze medals in the recent winter Olympics in Vancouver. A total medal haul of 37, seven more than their closest rival, Germany. Great Britain, on the other hand, came joint last with Estonia and Kazakhstan (is that not Borat’s country? – Jagshemash!). Amy Williams, now a legend in the women’s skeleton, bagged the only medal for team GB. I sure hope Amy, who honed her skills in Bath, is displaying a glimpse of great things to come from team GB in the London 2012 Olympics. As the Olympic flames pass from Vancouver to London, it is the Olympic sport of synchronised swimming that is exercising my curiosity. And this is relevant to pharmacy in the UK today!
Wikipedia (link) describes synchronised swimming as “a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, or teams) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater.” [click to continue…]
The issue surrounding the suspended sentence handed out to our colleague, Elizabeth Lee, has exercise a lot of passion amongst practising pharmacists. It moved myself to write this article.
The latest update in this sorry episode is the report by the coroner on the 4th of March 2010. Peter Bedford, Berkshire coroner, said that the effects of the mistaken overdose of propranolol “were likely to have been so minimal at the time of [Mrs Sheller’s] death as to be able to be discounted as having any material effect”. (link)
Comments:
Mrs Sheller’s son: “We are pleased that the coroner is going to report to relevant authorities for the pharmaceutical industry and hope it will help to prevent the public from the harm of human error.”
Mark Koziol, chairman of the Pharmacists’ Defence Association: “There is nothing in the outcome which causes Elizabeth any problems with her appeal, nor anything which causes problems for the profession.”
This has been a sorry case all round and I hope the legislative changes being proposed will be implemented and as professionals we can keep the number of human errors to the minimum.
Today bookapharmacist.com showcase how it is building effective professional pharmacist networks by interviewing Katerina Mesmer (author of “Complacency did not build the Tower of Babylon“), Hospital Pharmacist and Project Facilitator at Iforg Limited. The interview explores her role at the Local Pharmacy Forum and at bookapharmacist.com. Most importantly, how she is working with bookapharmacist to build effective professional pharmacist networks.
Some of you may be aware of the Babylon Tower debacle. The story goes that at one point in the history the world had one common language as they all descended from one man. A part of the world’s people moved eastward and some settled on the plain of Shinar also called Babylonia. That is were the name Babylon comes from.
Babylonians had a goal in preventing any further scattering of the people over the earth to create a city where the achievements of a united and integrated people would be concentrated. Did you notice any similarities with the dreaded globalisation? With eyes on this big prize it was an invitation to come together to work on this great project.
It is a very important ‘come’ of the story. ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’.
Three incredible things are involved in this invitation: a vision for the city, a desire for a name and reputation, and a plan for a new movement. Being involved in the transition into the new Pharmacy Professional Leadership Body through the Local Practice Forum, I entertained the idea that we, pharmacists, are also a community of one common language and we are indeed trying to create a place where the achievements of a united and integrated people would be centralized. We have a vision of strong professional body that will support its members through strong network, we have the desire for our name and reputation to become well known to the public and to other healthcare professions and we have a plan how to build a great community with a voice and reason that influences the decision-makers at the very core of our democratic set-up.
Since the Babylon Tower was never built it begs to ask, what happened to it? And more importantly, what happened to the people? Well, people started to speak in different tongues, never managed to agree on the process, battled over obscurities and eventually abandon the idea all together. Sorry, no divine intervention can be blamed on this one. It was people them self, so sure and confident in their abilities to ‘reach the heavens’ that got them down to their knees. Complacency, my fellow pharmacists, is the barrier to achieving great things.
In these exciting times when the society is reforming and the many ideas are being implemented it is the right time to reflect on the mistakes of others and learn from it. Shall we have another big ‘come’ for the historians to write about in the distant future? ‘Come, let us build ourselves a professional body with a profession that reaches to the heavens.’
Reference:
Notes by James Montgomery Boice on Nimrod and Babel. The Tower of Babel and the confusion of languages by Lambert Dolphin http://ldolphin.org/babel.html (accessed 07/11/09)
Genesis. 3,4
Editorial Comment
(Kazeem Olalekan)
Important contribution Kat, thank you. The sentiments raised in this article is very relevant to the changes going on in the way we practice pharmacy in the UK. The split between the regulatory and leadership arm is the case in point. I was very surprised (shocked, perhaps) when at a meeting held by the Southampton Branch of the RPSGB in November 2009, a straw poll of the attendees was taken as to how many members will join the new leadership body. Less than 30% of those attending said they would. I guess that informed the candidacy of Jaggy (link) in the recent Election to the English National Pharmacy Board. The important task ahead of those elected is to find ways of engaging with members with the desire to want to join the new professional body. Else it will be Babylon, mark 2.
Oral suspension containing sodium alginate 500mg and potassium bicarbonate 100mg in 5ml
PL 0063/0103
Batch Number
Expiry Date
Pack Size
First Distributed
924471
1/08/2011
500 ml bottle
19/09/2009
925071
1/09/2011
500 ml bottle
19/09/2009
Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK) Ltd are recalling the above lots due to a low -evel microbial contamination detected in one of the batches. The contamination causes spoilage of the product and a phenolic or antiseptic smell. The product should smell of peppermint.
The microbial contamination is not likely to be harmful to normally healthy consumers. However, if this product is being used by patients with suppressed immune systems, such as patients on chemotherapy, the risk of infection and other adverse reactions cannot be ruled out. General Practitioners or Pharmacists receiving enquiries from such patients are requested to give professional advice and refer to the responsible treatment centre where necessary.
Information for consumers
Reckitt Benckiser is carrying out a precautionary medicine recall at wholesale and pharmacy level, on two batches of 500ml bottles of Gaviscon Advance Peppermint Flavour; batch numbers 924471 and 925071.
The reason for this is that low-level bacterial contamination has been found in one of the batches. The recall of the other batch is purely a precautionary measure. The contamination could cause the product to spoil and alter the product’s smell from peppermint to antiseptic.
Healthy consumers who have consumed or have this product at home do not need to worry, as the contamination is unlikely to be harmful. For consumers with suppressed immune systems, such as patients on chemotherapy, the risk of infection from this contamination cannot be ruled out.
If consumers have any worries or suspected side effects, they should contact their doctor.
A series of very useful information on how to prevent Hospital Associated Infection. Very relevant to the UK as well and chimes with the work done by Dr Kieran Hand at Southampton University Hospitals Trust.
On Tuesday the 20th of October 2009, the Southampton Branch of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society hosted a presentation by Dr Kieran Hand, Consultant Pharmacist– Anti-infectives at Southampton University Hospitals Trust. It was a remarkably successful evening on a number of fronts and I will highlight these here:
The Speaker
Dr Kieran Hand is a BSc Pharmacy graduate of Strathclyde University and began his career in hospital pharmacy as a resident pharmacist at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. He earned his PhD in pharmacology from the University of London and continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow before a brief career in the pharmaceutical industry in clinical trials pharmacovigilance. In 2002, Dr Hand returned to Chelsea and Westminster, appointed to a position of specialist microbiology pharmacist, and graduated from the first cohort of the MSc in Infection Management for Pharmacists at Imperial College. In January 2007, Kieran was appointed to the first consultant microbiology/Infectious Diseases pharmacist post in the UK, at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust. Kieran led a team in SUHT that won the 2009 UK Clinical Pharmacy Associations (UKCPA) Novatis Award for Antimicrobial Management for the design and implementation of an electronic referral system for microbiology ward rounds. He is a committee member former chair of the UKCPA’s infectious management group and he sits on the Health Protection Agency programme board for healthcare-associated infection and antimicrobial resistance and the antibiotics prescribing sub-committee of the Department of Health Advisory committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI). Dr Hand is a council member of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and an editor at the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
So here we have an eminent speaker and a pioneer pharmacist. [click to continue…]
Tonight bookapharmacist.com in conjuction with Pfizer, are supporting an important Branch meeting on Antibiotics Resistance (-Just another example of big Pharma working with Pharmacists). Download the events pdf here. The talk on Antibiotic Resistance will be given by no other than Dr Kieran Hand, Consultant Pharmacist – Anti-infectives at Southampton University Hospitals Trust. This [...]
We were at the Chemist and Druggist (C&D) conference held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 11th of October 2009 and we loved it. We recommend that you attend next year’s event. We definitely switched onto the topical discussions. The big picture is becoming even clearer!
The presentations by Sue Sharp (PSNC Chief Executive) and [...]
There is something important called the general election happening right now. On May the 6th (3 days from today), the citizens of the United Kingdom will elect one MP for each of the 650 constituencies to the House of Commons(1). There has been a lot of firsts in this election: The first televised series of three political debates, and this: my first honest public assessments of the three political parties. Bookapharmacist.com is apolitical but we believe politics is important: Politics is important in shaping the quality of service we deliver to our patients in my (our) NHS. I am writing this not to influence your vote (hence the short time lag between the election date and publication) but to reflect on what the main political parties have offered and are offering; impact on pharmacy and a glimpse at the future configuration of the NHS.
Gaviscon Advance Peppermint Flavour
On Tuesday the 20th of October 2009, the Southampton Branch of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society hosted a presentation by Dr Kieran Hand, Consultant Pharmacist– Anti-infectives at Southampton University Hospitals Trust. It was a remarkably successful evening on a number of fronts and I will highlight these here:
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