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New Medicine Service

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As you are aware the New Medicine Service (NMS) for England is due to launch from the 1st October 2011.

To ensure our locum pharmacists are able to deliver this valuable service we are collecting Verbal confirmation that “self-assessment” has been completed allowing locums to immediately commence delivery of the service. We will also request a copy of the “self-assessment” form for our records.

We require immediate action and would be grateful if you could verbally advise the team of your ability to deliver this service and then forward on to the team the copy of your self-assessment form.

We have taken the liberty of compiling an e-mail outlining the importance of NMS and how this will affect you as a valued contractor of New Directions Professional

Aims and intended outcomes of NMS

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and NHS Employers (who are commissioning the service) have stated ten aims and intended outcomes for this service. Some are the direct benefits to the patient, some are the benefits to pharmacy and some are the benefits to the NHS itself. They are:

  1. help patients and carers manage newly prescribed medicines for a long term condition and make shared decisions about their long term condition
  2. recognise the important and expanding role of the pharmacist in optimising the use of medicines
  3. increase patient adherence to treatment and consequently reduce medicines wastage and contribute to the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) agenda
  4. supplement and reinforce information provided by the GP and practice staff to help patients make informed choices about their care.
  5. promote multidisciplinary working with patient’s GP practice.
  6. link the use of newly prescribed medicines to lifestyle changes or other non-drug interventions to promote well-being and promote health in people with long term conditions
  7. promote and support self-management of long term conditions, and increases access to advice to improve medicines adherence and knowledge of potential self-effects
  8. support integrations with long term condition services from other providers and provides appropriate signposting and referral to these services
  9. improve pharmacovigilance
  10. through increased adherence to treatment, reduce medicines related hospital admission to improve the quality of life for patients

Pharmacist Self-Assessment

Pharmacists offering the NMS must be MUR accredited and complete a self-assessment form. There is no need to compete any additional training. The self-assessment form requires a pharmacist to declare that they:

  • are accredited to provide MURs
  • understand the purpose and background of the NMS
  • understand the aims and intended outcomes of the NMS
  • understand the service specification of the NMS and how to deliver it effectively
  • are competent in the clinical areas covered by the NMS

On-going Support

All pharmacy bodies have been working together to ensure that pharmacists are provided with the information and supporting tools they need to deliver this service effectively from day one. To support you the following is available:

  • Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee www.psnc.org.uk/nms

    • Download copies of all the ‘official’ briefings and documents on the service
    • Access the additional information about the service
    • Contact Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) as many are running local events on the service.

  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) www.rpharms.com

    • Look out for RPS co-ordinating a significant amount of national publicity, including a media launch in early October
    • Attend one of the many Local Practice Forums (LPFs) local events
    • See the professional guidance and support tools – look for the series of articles supporting the contract changes at PJ Online and access the video about NMS

  • Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) www.cppe.ac.uk

    • Undertake the open learning programme, which has been sent to all pharmacists in England. Extra copies can be ordered from the website if you didn’t receive yours
    • Access the e-learning programme with videos about how to deliver the service
    • Look at the CPPE workshop materials which are being used by LPFs, LPCs and local groups

  • National Pharmacy Association (NPA) www.npa.co.uk/nms

    • Look for the NMS support pack, including short guidance on the conditions and advice on communication with patients and GPs, which is being posted to all NPA member pharmacies
    • Locums who are not members of the NPA may access its entire portfolio of NMS resources, including a comprehensive standard operating procedure

The learning materials available from CPPE consist of an open learning programme, a local solutions workshop and a CPPE e-learning video wall. All the materials have been designed to help you to offer consistently high levels of patient care. CPPE will be posting a copy of this training directly to you over the next few days.

Please ensure you have read the NMS SOP and signed a training record in branch. The NMS Resource Centre on our intranet contains a wealth of information to support you further.

Locum Bookings

From 1st October 2011, locums who are both accredited to provide and who do deliver the NMS and MURs will be given preferential bookings by call clients in England. This is particularly important if you carry out regular work on an on-going basis for any of our clients.

With kind regards, Amber Stevens,
Divisional Manager, New Directions Professional

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