Pharmacy Personal & Public Advisory Group
The Strategic Planning & Performance Group (SPPG) established a Pharmacy Personal & Public Advisory Group in June 2024 to provide input and advice on the development of safe and efficient pharmacy and medicines services.
The Pharmacy Personal & Public Advisory Group work in partnership with the SPPG pharmacy team and other health care professionals to advise on changes to existing services and development of new services, focusing on safety and quality.
The aims of the Pharmacy Personal & Public Advisory Group are to:
- Improve the experience for people who use pharmacy services and ensure the safe use of medicines and;
- Help the SPPG pharmacy team understand how to provide better pharmaceutical services and safer use of medicines
The group meets 4 times per year (virtually/hybrid and face-to-face once a year) and is co-chaired by a member of the SPPG Pharmacy team and a service user/carer.
Since its establishment in June 2024, the Pharmacy Personal & Public Advisory Group has made great progress in a short period of time. Key achievements to date include:
- Contributed to the development of the Northern Ireland adaptation of the World Health Organization’s ‘5 Moments for Medication Safety’ patient engagement tool. The group took part in a focus group session where they reviewed the questions associated with each of the five moments and provided feedback on both content and language.
- Influencing training for community pharmacists to better support carers and incorporate lived experiences and real-life perspectives into the programme.
In addition to the above outcomes the group has also made invaluable contributions to the development and design of resources and patient information leaflets for use across the health & social care sector. These include:
- Shingles poster for the Pharmacy First service in community pharmacies.
- Patient information leaflet on the prescribing of Mounjaro® (Tirzepatide) for managing weight loss/obesity in Northern Ireland.
- Posters on the greener disposal of inhaler waste for display in GP practices and community pharmacies.
- Patient information leaflet on the management of Diabetes
If you would like further information on the work of the group, please email sppgpharmacyengagementadvisorygroup@hscni.net
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