What sort of inhalers?

Would be great if people could get their facts right before putting the negative spin on it! Its Thursday 26th, not Tues. ASDA have secured a PGD for its pharmacists to do what pharmacists are actually allowed to do, which is prescribe. They have always been able to emergency prescribe drugs, now they can prescribe for none emergent cases and in this case take the burden of GP's and the cost out of the prescription. They have been doing it for years with the morning after pill, and in some cases general contraception. It is available for only those with Asthma, and COPD. Nothing else. It is not available for penguins to put in their bags, nor anyone else who is not the end user.

So, it is not being given over the counter. It is a prescription medicine. The only difference here is that instead of a doctor prescribing it, another healthcare professional with prescribing rights is doing it instead, just like nurse practitioners do under a PGD.

I did take them at face value. Your username gives up two possibles - a genuine NHS responder on a bike or someone who is not - on a bike. If you were you would breath a big sigh of relief as the "tight chest, forgot inhaler" calls you end up going to will be reduced severalfold. If you work in some of the areas cycles are deployed, then that would be no cycling uphill for you. However, garden fetes tend to be held on risk assessed, dry, and flat ground that could be serviced by a Raleigh Shopper, instead of a mountain bike covered in reflective tape. You posted this thread to provoke a reaction, a negative one. Just like Tacanman who seems to think that a consultation with a professional prior to prescription under a PGD is amounts to just a talk and a questionnaire. If you, either of you, had the first clue, you would not have missed the news that other HCP's such as physios were also this week given the go ahead to prescribe instead of wasting the time of the GP's, limp in centres, A+E or god forbid a bloke in ill fitting lycra on a bike from cash converters covered in SP Services Emergyderbency HighGrade Reflective OiLookAtMe Ain'tICool tape.

CyclewaltenKommando

I have just re-read your last post, along with your 4 previous. You probably have not yet seen how you've tripped yourself up with your walting, but you have been caught out. Purporting to be on the HPC Register is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001. Its illegal. It is an anti walting law. It is designed to catch walts.

The things I am sure about are 1) You have no HPC registration 2) You are not employed by the NHS 3)An asthmatic on a moutain bike - are you quite sure?

For Sale

One Bike very good condition, used daily by me an asthmatic

I never knew i couldnt ride it honest

good evening to the worlds gift to pre-hospital care, 



perhaps you would like to provide me with SOP which dictates someone with certain medical conditions can not work on EMS bike, because with rigorous training and having a number of SOP's in front of me the only requirements are the fitness for roles, 



So why don't you start getting your facts right before you start shouting the odds also just something else to bear in mind CRU's do not wear Lycra 

 oh really , as usual   for FAC never an opportunity missed to Libel the VASes ... Privamb if you are such an expert you will know that SJA and BRC both have fairly  strict medical / occ health criteria for  crew, CRU and Advanced first aiders ... 

obesity and the NHS  and PASes ... there's some really rather large people  in the NHS and PAS sector who i'm sure  get their uniforms from tentage stores and the size  label says 'Mark F' ( one more thant Mark E for the hard of thinking ...)



Disabilities that's an interesting one  , you seem to assume that all VAS personnel  are crew and that  these people you are so quick to write off   are going to be putting people at risk, this seems to be a usual assumption of the ignorant  - the fitness standards for  Support members and First aiders within SJA are not all that high, but  equally the expectations on them in relation to casualty handling are not high - it is possible to be a first aider   and not be  cleared to take part in casualty handling and support members  obviously  are not there to to take part in treating patients  unless they happen across them. 



Advanced first aider, Cycle Responder and Ambulance Crew have to pass  Occ Health screening  and a moving and handling functionally related test   - a significant part of which is a to carry a rescue dummy on  a carry  chair  a set distance including up and down a flight of stairs  this is part of the national standard for the role 



Cycle responders have to pass a  operational cycling fitness test  involving  set distances and times as well as  the tests within the cycle training 



Drivers have to meet DVLA group 2 standards even if  they  don't drive 'vocational' classes of vehicles - the only exception to this  was until the law changed recently to allow Diabetic on insulin to drive group 2 vehicles that  SJA allowed  well controlled ( as evidence by  HbA1c and expert professional opinion) diabetics on insulin to drive cat B  for the organisation.  



as for your comments about people who work for the nHS and have   'higher positions' within the VASes  have you considered that  perhaps these people  don't want the roles in the NHS with the constant goal post moving  and lack of actual return on time and effort (  I know a number of band 5 staff in the NHS who get paid considerably more than their early  promoting band 6 or 7 supervisors and managers  because as a top increment band 5 working a rotating shift pattern they are earning  the difference and more in unsocial hours allowances  and not getting the hassle that  pips or a navy blue frock bring  and   there is not the pressure to minimise the variable pay elements  that there is band 7s in many places - usually anywhere but A+E and critical care )



You seem to be very casual with your libels or maybe it's just  ignorance that different grades in the VAS sector have different *role relevant*  fitness standards and i consider that from your postings you display  a y unacceptable attitude towards people with disabilities and long term conditions   and a remarkable lack of insight into the Equality Act's Disability Discrimination provisions, a position which may fall foul of  the the relevant codes of professional conduct. 



Again your assertions that people get  rank in SJA  ( as BRC doesn't do rank and has few volunteer management roles) solely o nthe basis  of 'working for the NHS'  is again a fiction  and certainly is not the practice  that the national standards  support.  



If you have actual fitness  concerns then address them to the County Commissioner / District  Manager if the person is SJA  or  the equivalent Manager  for BRC  and if there are grounds for  re-referral to Occ health then that is what will happen. 

as for the the  amputee  mentioned in privamb's posting 



what role does this person undertake for the VAS ?



the NHS is not necessarily the be all and end all of enlightenment in matters Occy Health  especially if lay management are still convinced they can claim  that there is no reasonable adaptation for someone.  Different Occupational Health Doctors and different sets of lay managers can come to different conclusions  which are both in the eyes of the 'employer' perfectly valid ... the only way to challenge that would be if someone was dismissed  by one employer (A)  but another employer (B)was happy to keep them on / offer them a (near) identical  role  with  adaptations etc   then A could be taken to a tribunal under the provisions of the equality act.



the fact someone has been medically discharged from the forces due to an injury or illness  is not necessarily a good sense check as to whether they can undertake physically active roles in civvie street - the military has to be sure that personnel  will be able to operate effectively  when out of the reach of support  for days  if not weeks  - and if that scenario were to arise in civvie street  with the possible exception of deep mining it;s gone very very wrong  ( and even in the deep mine it;s still gone very wrong )

Looks like it!!



But on the up side............. if you are out on your bike, and forget your inhaler, just nip in to Asda for a new one! oh and they are normally 10% cheaper and if not will give you the difference!