RPS Scotland poster campaign aims to get patients talking

A poster campaign marks the start of a two-year campaign by Royal Pharmaceutical Society Scotland to raise awareness of pharmacy’s contribution to patient care.

Alex MacKinnon, director of RPS Scotland

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland has launched a poster campaign encouraging patients to talk to pharmacists about their medicines.

The campaign, “Good care starts with a conversation”, marks the start of a two-year campaign by RPS Scotland to raise awareness of pharmacy’s contribution to patient care. The poster, which can be downloaded from the campaign website, states: “We ask because we care. If you have any questions, please ask us.” Designed to be placed in any public-facing pharmacy setting, it sends a message that pharmacists welcome questions about medication, are well-placed to support patients needing advice about medicines, and will proactively ask patients about their health to ensure that they receive the best care.

One in five adults in Scotland take more than five medicines — a figure that rises to almost three in five (59%) among people aged over 70 years. Furthermore, almost half of all prescribed medicine is not taken as intended by the prescriber. Against this backdrop, RPS Scotland hopes that pharmacists will use the poster as a conversation starter, helping patients to get the best from their medicines and avoid unnecessary complications.

“On behalf of our members and the wider pharmacy profession, we will promote the roles that pharmacists play across all settings, caring for patients and the public,” said Alex MacKinnon, RPS director for Scotland. “We will raise the awareness of pharmacy’s contribution with patients and the public, and we will advocate on behalf of the profession for pharmacy’s contribution to be better valued, better recognised and better resourced.

“Pharmacists should be positioned across the health and social care landscape, wherever there are medicines issues. As the experts in medicines and their safe and effective use, pharmacists play an increasingly crucial role in our NHS and we must work to improve the recognition of this.

“The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is determined to put pharmacy at the forefront of healthcare and that pharmacy’s contribution will become increasingly visible in our NHS.”

The poster can be downloaded for print from the campaign website, which contains additional resources for pharmacists across the sector. The hashtag #talktopharmacy can be used to promote the campaign across social media.

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, RPS Scotland poster campaign aims to get patients talking;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2018.20205271

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