Month: March 2022

The number of COVID-19 vaccine boosters and third doses administered in Northern Ireland has passed the one million mark.

The milestone has been welcomed by Patricia Donnelly, head of Northern Ireland’s vaccination programme.

She said: “GPs, community pharmacists and Trusts have all worked extremely hard to roll out the booster campaign, with the period in the run up to Christmas particularly busy.

“They all deserve our heartfelt thanks. Because of the vaccines, we now have much greater protection against the virus.

“All those involved in the vaccination programme are genuine history makers.”

Booster doses have been provided from the latter stages of last year, supplementing the two primary doses already received.

At the same time, a third primary dose was offered to people with a severely weakened immune system, which was then followed by a booster three months after their third primary dose.

The latest tallies on Northern Ireland’s vaccination dashboard include 979,548 boosters and 20,620 third doses.

Patricia continued: “While demand for vaccines is no longer at levels from the peak of the campaign, people are still coming forward on a daily basis for boosters and first and second doses.

“It’s still not too late to get these jabs. Please do so – and benefit from the really important protection they bring.” 

The one million landmark has been reached with the Spring booster campaign imminent. In line with UK-wide guidance set by the JCVI, the Spring campaign will offer an additional booster dose to: anyone who is aged 75 or over; care home residents; and anyone aged 12 and over who has a severely weakened immune system. Further details can be found on NI Direct: www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/get-covid-19-vaccination-and-booster-northern-ireland

Health Minister Robin Swann has today announced an investment of £8million into community pharmacy to support the phased introduction of a new medicines adherence service in Northern Ireland.

This investment follows extensive discussions between Department of Health, the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and Community Pharmacy NI, the representative body for community pharmacy.

This service will help to ensure that people at high risk of harm from poor adherence to their medication will receive tailored support to assist them to take their medicines on time and as prescribed. The service will be introduced in phases over the coming months to allow a standard approach for new patients who need access to additional support. Phase one will involve patients being discharged from hospital with complex needs relating to their medication

Speaking during a visit to Dundela Pharmacy, Minister Swann said: “I am delighted to be able to announce this further additional investment of £8m into community pharmacy. This funding will immediately benefit those patients being discharged from hospital with complex medication needs.”

The Health Minister continued: “I am very pleased to also give my support to an agreed three year community pharmacy commissioning plan for 2022-25 which, subject to funding being in place, will provide a coherent structure for the provision of community pharmacy services over the next 36 months. The 2022-25 commissioning plan continues to build on the successful commissioning agreements that have been in place over the last two years and ensures that community pharmacies will continue to provide a number of additional services to meet the needs of patients.”

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Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health said: “Community pharmacies provide highly trusted and accessible services involving the safe supply of medicines, vaccines and pharmaceutical advice. Today’s announcement will help ensure that services can be developed to provide tailored support to people who need help to take their medicines safely, on time and as prescribed.”

Joe Brogan, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management at the Health and Social Care Board said: “Community pharmacies have provided much needed additional services during the response to COVID-19. We very much value how pharmacy staff responded to the needs of our communities and recognise the challenges that were faced. Learning from this, we have jointly developed a 3-year commissioning plan which prioritises and seeks to extend clinical services from community pharmacies.”

Gerard Greene, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland said: “This is a welcome and much needed investment in community pharmacy. It comes after two years of a pandemic, where we have clearly seen how important community pharmacy is in supporting patients and enabling them to access a vital health service. The Minister’s commitment to a new three year commissioning plan gives us more certainty and will mean we can now develop and plan new services. 

“In addition, the investment in the medicines adherence service will allow community pharmacists to work directly with hospitals to ensure that patients who are being discharged and in need of specialised medicine support, can now receive that from their local pharmacy. This will have a positive impact in getting patients out of hospital more quickly and will mean they can be cared for at home.”

The representative body for community pharmacy owners across Northern Ireland has said that the work of pharmacy teams made a seismic difference to the Covid-19 response over the past two years.

Community Pharmacy NI has hailed the resilience and adaptability of the workforce as over 330,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been delivered including almost150,000 booster vaccines.

Pharmacies also increased provisions with the Pharmacy First service by which  patients could get medical advice and treatment directly from their local pharmacies for a number of everyday health conditions. The Emergency Supply of Medicines service was also introduced which meant patients could access vital medicines when they were unable to obtain a prescription.

In more recent times, community pharmacies became the leading provider of Lateral Flow Tests with over one million kits delivered to the public across Northern Ireland.

Community pharmacies also continued to provide their central role of the safe supply of medicines to patients with over one million dispensing episodes weekly.

Community Pharmacy NI are calling on the Department of Health to continue to recognise the vast contribution of the community pharmacy network over the past two years and accelerate  workforce planning and investment strategies that will ensure that this work can continue and be developed further in the post-pandemic era.

Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene said:

The last two years has demonstrated that community pharmacy can go beyond day-to-day services to support the changing health and wellbeing needs of our population. Through the flexibility and adaptability of the sector, we have seen it taking on increased patient demands and providing additional services. I think it is hugely important that the Department of Health seeks to build upon the success to date and ensures that community pharmacy remains an integral part of the health and social care family going forward.

The community pharmacy network has worked tremendously hard to ensure that patients have been able to continue to receive services, uninterrupted by the pressures of the pandemic. Staff have shown flexibility and adaptability under extreme pressure.

Community pharmacy needs to be commissioned in a way that reflects increased responsibilities and demands. Emerging from the pandemic, more and more patients will look to their local community pharmacist first, as they have done during the last two years. It is imperative that we support community pharmacies to continue vital work in our communities.

Now is the time to maximize on the possibilities that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented and ensure that community pharmacy is utilized effectively and inclusively in transformation of the health service. We have seen the many benefits – accessibility, adaptability, community-facing care, as well as a range of new and additional services – I hope we are able to continue with this in the time ahead.

A new campaign that encourages adults to make healthy changes to their diet has been launched in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland as part of the Living Well service.

‘Making healthier choices’ will run until the end of March and aims to encourage people to make changes to their diet that will have a positive impact on overall health and wellbeing.

Living Well is offered in over 500 pharmacies and provides information and advice on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), and the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB).

Dr Hannah Dearie, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Officer with PHA said that the new pharmacy campaign is an extension of the PHA’s wider Choose to Live Better campaign work:

“We want to encourage people to make simple changes to their diet that will help to have a positive impact on their health. Providing information through community pharmacies is a great way of reaching people.

“This campaign aims to make people think about portion sizes of food and drinks they are consuming and reduce portions sizes to improve health and wellbeing. It’s still the food you love, just a bit less.”

Combining healthy eating habits with being active can reduce your risk of developing a range of chronic conditions such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.

Paul McKenna, community pharmacist said:

“Community pharmacies are at the heart of our local communities with the public recognising pharmacists as trusted and accessible healthcare professionals. This makes community pharmacy the ideal setting to help encourage people to look after their health by engaging in initiatives such as the ‘Making healthier choices’ campaign.

“We can help support you to make those lifestyle changes. The first step is simple, just ask your pharmacist for advice.”

Simple tips for making healthier choices:

• Eat regularly – eat three meals each day, ie. breakfast, lunch and evening meal. This can help you stay fuller for longer and prevent you nibbling on snacks in-between meals.
• Eat slowly, to give your body a chance to tell you it’s satisfied. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full.
• Eat until you’re no longer hungry, not until you feel full.
• Use a smaller plate.
• Don’t nibble on leftovers – you can cut down on leftovers by cooking less or using them up in another meal.
• Check food labels – If you’re not sure how much of a food to eat in one serving, have a look at the food label, which appears on packaged food and drink.
• Watch out for supersized portions when you’re eating out. Come up with ways to deal with bigger portions, eg. opt for a starter portion, leave out the chips, don’t force yourself to clear your plate, share a dessert between two or three people.
• Try to be more active every day– remember, if you slip up one day, don’t dwell on it. Just carry on to the next day with your target in mind.

The Making healthier choices booklet is packed with lots of helpful information and is available in participating pharmacies now.

Further information on healthier portions and portion swaps can be found at: www.choosetolivebetter.com/content/eating-and-drinking-well