Project Officer - Michael Driscoll, (Pharmacist)

I am a registered Pharmacist who has been employed at the Mid North Coast Division of General Practice for just over one year.

I studied Pharmacy under the old apprenticeship system. This involved part-time work at the Pharmacy in Macquarie Street, Parramatta to which I was apprenticed and study at Sydney University.After graduating, I continued at Parramatta for several years then worked in Narrabeen NSW but also had experience in over twenty Pharmacies around Sydney.After marriage I managed a Pharmacy in Umina on the central coast for three years and when the Pharmacy at Urunga came up for sale I was fortunate to purchase it. At first this was a different experience, One Pharmacy, One GP and about 1200 people. Today there is still only one Pharmacy, but six GPs and the population is nearing 4000.I stayed in the Pharmacy for almost 30 years and during that period I gained a fellowship with the Australian College of Pharmacy Practice. I was in the first group to gain this after three years of post graduate study.
After selling the Pharmacy, I was employed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (NSW Branch) as a membership consultant. This involved visiting every Pharmacy between Kempsey and Tweed Heads and west to Guyra and Armidale.

Home Medicine Review (HMR)

HMR is an ongoing opportunity for community Pharmacy to demonstrate to the Government and the community, health care value that adds to the traditional functions of dispensing and the over-the-counter sales of medicines. An HMR is a comprehensive assessment of a patients medicines, conducted by an accredited Pharmacist following a request from the patient’s general practitioner. An HMR aims to identify and rectify potential medication adverse effects in collaboration with the patient, their general practitioner and the accredited pharmacist.These adverse effects which can be avoided , can lead to a patient, particularly the elderly, becoming hospitalized . Which patients are suitable for an HMR- Patients:            

Taking 5 or more medicines a day             
Recently discharged from hospital             
Displaying confusion about their medications             
Taking medicines with a narrow therapeutic index. E.g. warfarin             
Using drug delivery devices e.g. Asthma aerosols or insulin injections             
With dexterity, mental or vision impairment issues.
This list is only a guideline and there have been cases where the patient was only taking two medications.

Role of Facilitator

1)      Support the implementation of Medication Management Reviews

2)      Facilitate effective communication between Pharmacists and GPs

3)      Assist all health professionals to identify patients who would most benefit from this service.

4)      Organise educational events.

5)      Promote and provide information to hospitals and community groups  to facilitate timely uptake of this service.