NHS Tayside

The team have significantly boosted health outcomes as a result of their involvement in the respiratory outpatients clinic at Ninewells Hospital in which the pharmacist prescribers have worked to enhance the care of patients with COPD.

They engaged with pharmacy public health colleagues and Community Pharmacy Tayside to design a pathway whereby hospital patients would receive a brief intervention from their consultant, advising them to stop smoking. The patients were referred from the clinic to their local community pharmacy and provided with a starter pack of varenicline. It was subsequently advised that they contact their pharmacist before they had completed the pack and present their referral letter which requested that the pharmacist took over the care of the respiratory outpatient.