PHARMACY HEALTHCARE SCHEME

PRESSRELEASE

**embargoed until 00.01am 21st June 2001 **

QUITTING SMOKINGMADE EASIER AS HIGH STREET PHARMACIES OFFER NICOTINE THERAPIES ON THE nhs

There is good news for smokers trying toquit with the announcement that nicotine therapies are soon to be availablethrough high street pharmacies on the NHS, without having to go to the doctor.

The Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme (PHS) todaylaunches a guidance document [1] [view] for the supply of NicotineReplacement Therapy (NRT) on the NHS through pharmacy.   Patients who are on an NHS 'stop smoking'programme will soon be able to get their NRT direct from the pharmacy.    This will make quitting smoking moreconvenient and - it is hoped - encourage more people to try to stop.  It will also reduce demand on doctors' time,helping the NHS to run more smoothly. 

Yve Buckland, the newly elected Chair ofPHS, said that "this initiative willhelp more smokers get access to the treatment they need on the NHS.  Pharmacists are ideally placed to provideadvice on stopping smoking and advising customers which NRT products are themost suitable for them."

Speaking for the Tobacco Advisory Group ofthe Royal College of Physicians Professor John Britton said "we welcomethis development from the Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme for two reasons.  Firstly, it will ensure patients can gostraight from the NHS smoking cessation services to the pharmacy to pick uptheir supply without having to go via their GP". 

“Secondly, patients who try to stop smokingusing NRT are twice as likely to succeed as those who try without and it isimportant that people have access to it. This guidance document allows the supply of NRT to groups of patientswho are not always covered by the product licence but who would benefit fromusing NRT - which is a considerably safer product than tobacco."

Clive Bates, Director of the charity Actionon Smoking and Health (ASH), said "Thisinitiative will help smokers get the help they need without doctors drowning inextra workload.  By devolving functions like prescribing nicotine patchesand gum to nurses and pharmacists, the NHS can really get to grips withthe single most important cause of cancer and heart disease in Britain."

The guidance document will be sent out toall NHS Pharmaceutical Advisers and Smoking Cessation services by e-mailtoday.  Further copies of the guidancedocument on NRT can be obtained from PHS on 020 7820 3213 or e-mail: phs@rpsgb.org.uk

CONTACTINFORMATION

To discuss the content of the Patient GroupDirection / Service Specification or press release please contact MiriamArmstrong at PHS on 020 7735 9141 x 411or e-mail: marmstrong@rpsgb.org.uk

The Patient Group Direction / ServiceSpecification can also be accessed at the ASH website: http://www.ash.org.uk/?cessation  - HTML or PDF

and the website of the Royal PharmaceuticalSociety of Great Britain (RPSGB): www.rpsgb.org.uk/patientcare/

and the Department of Health:  www.groupprotocols.org.uk

and through the NHS web at: nww.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/nhssmokingcessation/

NOTESTO EDITORS

1.      The full title of guidance document is Sample Patient Group Direction and Service Specification for the supplyof Nicotine Replacement Therapy through pharmacies.

2.      Stopping smoking is the most important single act that a smoker cando to improve their health.  Smokingcauses 46,000 cancer deaths per year - 30% of all cancer deaths (including 82%of lung cancer deaths).  It also causes40,000 heart disease deaths per year - 25% of all heart disease deaths.  Smoking also causes 83% of deaths frombronchitis and emphysema. One quarter of all strokes are attributable tosmoking.

3.      NRT became available on NHS prescription from 17 April 2001.

4.      Organisations supporting the use of the guidance document at a locallevel are:

§        The Tobacco Advisory Group of theRoyal College of Physicians

§        The Royal College of General Practitioners

§        The Royal Pharmaceutical Society ofGreat Britain

§        The Royal College of Nursing

§        The charity Action on Smoking andHealth (ASH)

§        The stop smoking charity Quit

5.      The Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme is an independent charity set up todevelop the contribution of pharmacy to public health through research,training and education.

Registered office: 1 Lambeth High Street,London SE1 7JN

Registered charity number: 1021335         

Registered company number: 2768032