{"id":1560,"date":"2013-08-28T14:19:43","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T13:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=1560"},"modified":"2013-08-28T15:48:03","modified_gmt":"2013-08-28T14:48:03","slug":"community-pharmacy-application-questionnaire-from-the-health-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/2013\/08\/community-pharmacy-application-questionnaire-from-the-health-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Community pharmacy application questionnaire from the health board."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n<w:WordDocument>\n<w:View>Normal<\/w:View>\n<w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>\n<w:PunctuationKerning\/>\n<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>\n<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>\n<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>\n<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>\n<w:Compatibility>\n<w:BreakWrappedTables\/>\n<w:SnapToGridInCell\/>\n<w:WrapTextWithPunct\/>\n<w:UseAsianBreakRules\/>\n<w:DontGrowAutofit\/>\n<\/w:Compatibility>\n<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/w:BrowserLevel>\n<\/w:WordDocument>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n<p>The health board have now written to every household in North Uist and Benbecula asking for feedback regarding this pharmacy application.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I am hearing from a lot of patients concerns about how clear the wording is in this letter, and many are finding it difficult to know how to answer the questions either for themselves, or when helping elderly relatives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It is important that you record your own experiences \u2013 but I hope I can clarify some of the questions for you and provide some guidance (if needed), as to how you can best make an impact if you feel that a pharmacy in Benbecula would not be desirable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\">1 \u2018Do the boundaries of the area within which the pharmacy premises are situated constitute an appropriate neighbourhood?\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The neighbourhood is the area that the pharmacy will provide prescriptions for.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>It has been defined as the \u2018Isles of North Uist and Benbecula\u2019.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It would be helpful to query whether this is an adequate description given that technically it doesn\u2019t mention Baleshare, Grimsay or Berneray \u2013 are these places included?<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>If not \u2013 why not, and what will happen to them?<\/p>\n<p>This is also the section where it would be very helpful to outline in detail what the changes will mean for you personally regarding getting access to services.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n <w:WordDocument>\n  <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>\n  <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>\n  <w:PunctuationKerning\/>\n  <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>\n  <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>\n  <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>\n  <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>\n  <w:Compatibility>\n   <w:BreakWrappedTables\/>\n   <w:SnapToGridInCell\/>\n   <w:WrapTextWithPunct\/>\n   <w:UseAsianBreakRules\/>\n   <w:DontGrowAutofit\/>\n  <\/w:Compatibility>\n  <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4<\/w:BrowserLevel>\n <\/w:WordDocument>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>\n <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState=\"false\" LatentStyleCount=\"156\">\n <\/w:LatentStyles>\n<\/xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>\n\n\n<style>\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\n table.MsoNormalTable\n\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;\n\tmso-para-margin:0cm;\n\tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:10.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-ansi-language:#0400;\n\tmso-fareast-language:#0400;\n\tmso-bidi-language:#0400;}\n<\/style>\n\n\n<![endif]-->At present you can get your pills from Lochmaddy, Carinish, Bayhead or Berneray.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many extra miles will you need to drive to get medication from Balivanich?<\/li>\n<li>How much would this cost?<\/li>\n<li>Would you need to use public transport \u2013 if so how adequate is it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\">2 \u2018Is the current provision of NHS pharmaceutical Services within the neighbourhood adequate?\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This is a bit of a trick question and I am disappointed that the health board have not explained what is meant here,<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The services you currently get in North Uist don\u2019t count as \u2018pharmaceutical services\u2019 because these are defined as only being available from pharmacists.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">As well as giving you pills, these services include\u2026 nicotine patches for smokers, reviewing your medication a few times a year, supplying contraception, and dealing with minor illnesses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I hope you would agree that these are done already for you by the practice.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>If so &#8211; then it would be helpful to put in this section that although you don\u2019t have access to a local pharmacist, you would prefer to keep getting these kinds of services from your GP.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>You could also mention if you regularly get things from local shops, online, or from relatives when you want to get pharmaceutical supplies and don\u2019t find this inconvenient. <span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\">3. \u2018If the current provision is not adequate will the application secure an adequate provision of services in the neighbourhood.\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">They are asking here how good a service you would expect to get from the pharmacy if it opened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">You might like to comment that the area covered is so large (over 400 km<sup>2<\/sup>) that there are concerns at how viable it will be for them to provide a delivery service.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>You may also have concerns at the security or size of the proposed shop in Balivanich (in the area of the current sports shop).<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">You may be worried at what might happen if the business opens but then closes after a few months \/ years if they don\u2019t make enough money.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>How would we cope then?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>would also be useful to think about how adequate a service this would be in certain situations.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>For example \u2013 if you see a doctor at 5:30 in Lochmaddy and are given a prescription\u2026 how are you going to get it that day?<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\">\u2018Please enter any other comments in the space below.\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This would be the place to mention how the loss of local doctors \/ practice staff might be of concern to you.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>There are potential issues with finding it harder to get routine appointments, the knock on effects that loss of staff will have for running out of hours care \/ the hospital, the social impact of people losing jobs in a remote community, the increased costs and inconvenience that people will face from having to travel so far for services, the environmental impact that this might have.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Etc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">At the end of the day it is an opportunity for you to make any of your feelings known \u2013 but if you want to make an impact you need to focus on the subjects I have outlined above. These are the topics within which the legislation gives us some room to manoeuvre if enough people raise them as concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">It is very important that you put pen to paper and send these letters to the health board.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0 <\/span>If we are to argue that a pharmacy is not necessary or desirable here we need the weight of public opinion behind us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The health board have now written to every household in North Uist and Benbecula asking for feedback regarding this pharmacy application. I am hearing from a lot of patients concerns about how clear the wording is in this letter, and many are finding it difficult to know how to answer the questions either for themselves, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1671,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practice-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1560"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1563,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560\/revisions\/1563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.north-uist-medical.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}