Manchester Royal Infirmary

The group visited the Manchester Royal Infirmary today for a tour and overview of pharmacy practice.  At the hospital we divided into small groups and followed a pharmacist on various hospital wards including cardiology, stroke, and general medicine.  The pharmacists’ job responsibilities are similar to those of clinical pharmacists in the US.  Examples of daily responsibilities include evaluating appropriateness of therapy, making dosage adjustments, and obtaining medication histories.

Next, the group met with the hospital’s Director of Pharmacy for an interesting discussion on healthcare and pharmacy systems in England and, more specifically, at the Royal Infirmary.  He explained healthcare in England had historically been under-funded, but has increased dramatically in the last decade.  Unfortunately, due to the recent recession, healthcare funding is likely to be reduced. 

We also learned that the British government has directed a large amount of funding to smoking cessation, healthy eating, and anti-obesity campaigns in an attempt to reduce secondary care costs later in life.  Recently, proactive roles by community pharmacists have become popular, including lipid and diabetes screenings. 

England’s National Health System has established national health priorities. Increasing cleanliness of hospital facilities and reducing the number of hospital-acquired infections are areas in which pharmacy has played a large role.  As in the US, pathogens of particular concern include MRSA and C. difficile.  Other priorities include improving patient access to primary care providers, overall health status, patient satisfaction, and emergency preparedness for major incidents such as chemical, radiological, biological, or terrorist attacks and influenza pandemics.

After lunch we had the afternoon to ourselves.  The group split up, though we all ended up shopping at the market in central Manchester.  Most were successful in spending the last of our pounds before heading to Ireland tomorrow.

Billie