Programme to aid community pharmacists using summary care records

A programme on the use of Summary Care Records (SCR) in community pharmacy has been launched by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE).

The release coincides with the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) implementation programme for access to SCRs in community pharmacy.

The two-hour programme focuses on understanding the policy and context behind using SCRs, how and when to obtain explicit consent from patients and how to maintain secure records and document accurate information.

Jan Douglas, who developed the programme for CPPE, said: "The CPPE Summary Care Records in community pharmacy e-learning programme provides you with the knowledge and skills you need for safe and efficient access to patients’ summary care records, helping you to provide the best possible outcomes for your patients."

Jobs created by Scottish pharmacy expansion

A Glasgow-based pharmacy chain is to create up to 40 jobs after buying five premises across Scotland, the Scotsman has reported.

Honey Pharmacy Group has increased its portfolio from three to eight pharmacies, including sites in Dundee, Edinburgh and Polmont.

Strategy to tackle obesity

The first ever joined-up strategy for tackling the inactivity crisis is being backed by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

ukactive’s Blueprint for an Active Britain today (5 November) will be announced at the organisation’s annual summit at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of RSPH, said: “Getting people moving is one of the great public health challenges of our time.

“ukactive’s Blueprint for an Active Britain provides us with a clear roadmap of how we can achieve this and reap the benefits of a more active society.”

Integrated care at the heart of improving quality of life

New guidelines released by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said health and social care services need to work together to improve the quality of life for people with long-term conditions.

The guidance focuses on older people as the group more likely to be living with more than one long-term condition.

The series of recommendations include using community-based multidisciplinary support teams incorporating community pharmacists.