Helapet Newsletter | Issue 1 | Q4 2014

newsletter Announcing our new Newsletter! SteriClean® IPA Spray 0.45L

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elcome to our special 30th Anniversary edition of the new Helapet newsletter! Celebrating 30 years of being in business this year, we are excited to launch our new quarterly newsletter designed to consolidate all our latest messaging into an easy-to-read summary. Keeping you informed about our up-to-date news, events and company developments we will also look to share interesting articles and industry contributions.

If you would like to become a contributor yourself or suggest topics you would like to read about, simply email us at info@helapet.co.uk.

Our high performance sterile alcohol sprays are available in a compact 0.45 litre size that easily fits into the smallest of isolator hatches and confined environments. A mini version of the same ergonomic design spray with bag in bottle closed system, the 0.45L spray is lighter to handle avoiding hand and arm fatigue. The sprays are fully validated and are supplied individually double bagged and sterile for cleanroom use.

For more information or to try the sprays in your unit contact our sales team on 0800 0328 428 or submit a request on-line.

Movers & Shakers July marked the start of a new beginning here at Helapet... We are pleased to introduce Tony Phelps, Helapet’s first Sales & Marketing Manager!

Tony came to us from Convatec, where he led the critical care sales and marketing as National Business Manager.

Tony brings with him a vast amount of experience and knowledge from the medical device industry, having held a variety of senior management positions. Tony will immediately start implementing Helapet’s future sales and marketing plans over the coming year.

We also welcome Chevon Skyers, Helapet’s new Senior Accounts Assistant. Chevon joins us from Notting Hill Housing, bringing with her contracting, purchasing and finance skills.

Finally, a big congratulations to Beth and Sandra who have become full-time cleanroom staff. Well done ladies!

Did you spot the Helapet team?

This September, Helapet Ltd exhibited at four specialist events across the country, providing advice on our comprehensive range of sterile and non-sterile consumable products!

• Hospital Pharmacy Europe Live- Birmingham • Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences Society (PHSS) Annual Conference- University College London • NHS QA Symposium for Technical Services- Kenilworth • British Blood Transfusion Service (BBTS) Annual Conference- Harrogate

Did you miss us this September? Don’t worry, you can find our friendly team of experts at the Annual Pharmig Conference on the 26th and 27th of November 2014 at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel!

Christina Westbury, Suezy Kowalski and Keith Kelly at Hospital Pharmacy Live 2014

Helapet recognised as an Investor in People Helapet was recently re-awarded the Investors in People accreditation for the 9th year running, recognising our commitment to continual business improvement through the development of our staff.

Reflecting on achieving this award, Managing Director of Helapet Ltd, John Blight comments: “To attain re-accreditation is a huge achievement for all the staff at Helapet. We have been going through a period of considerable change here and winning this award demonstrates the Company’s commitment to people development and our staff’s commitment to embracing this change.

We now look forward to many years of sustained growth for the business.”

Feature product

ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 2014

Ice Bucket Challenge

The influenza season is here..

Helapet were nominated to join and take part in the popular Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Helapet raised over £26 for the cause, with five brave members of staff volunteering for cold buckets of iced water to be poured over their head in aid of those affected! Well done to you all.

The onset of autumn means that the flu season has started again in earnest. So when transporting your vaccines this year, be sure to use our proven VaccinePorter® carrier systems. Designed for the safe and controlled transportation of vaccines and temperature sensitive solutions, the VaccinePorter® can be easily utilised

by GP’s and nurses to get medications to the patient while maintaining their maximum efficacy.

Check out our new VaccinePorter® videos which can help demonstrate the ideal assembly method.

SearchHelapet Ice Bucket Challenge

MacMillan Coffee Morning Last month, Helapet also took part in the “MacMillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning” helping to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. Staff and partners generously baked food and cakes for the team, raising valuable donations for the cause.

For further advice and information contact us on 0800 230 0191 or enquire online

Winners of the 2014 Kathryn Miles Poster Competition Helapet were delighted to once again be the corporate sponsor and present the Kathryn Miles Poster Award, in collaboration with the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APT UK). The Kathryn Miles competition helps to support creative thinking, using poster formats to showcase latest research, share best practice and generate new ideas in pharmaceutical care.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and congratulations to our worthy winners!

The official winner of this year’s poster competition goes to Tracey Penver of King’s College hospital with her Medication Waste on Medical Admission Wards poster!

Also congratulations to the runners up, Mandeep Matharoo of Addenbrookes Hospital and Lisa Hudson of East Kent Hospital.

Tracy Penver accepting first prize Be sure to watch out for more details on the Kathryn Miles Poster Competition 2015.

Author: Fiona MacLean, Lead Clinical Pharmacist, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Scotland, UK Research indicates that Subcutaneous (SC) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are now replacing traditional intravenous (IV) biotherapeutics. A number of factors need to be considered when making a formulation switch and the planning and implementation of SC mAbs in a Scottish health board is described. Awareness of pipeline products and new formulations are now central to successful and timely implementation of medicines. Horizon scanning flagged the development of SC trastuzumab.

In 2012, a pharmacy preregistration project was undertaken to prospectively audit the switch from IV mABs to SC. The focus of the project was on trastuzumab; however, the processes and learning is applicable to any mAb. Operational, logistical and financial implications of SC trastuzumab were considered.Pharmacy undertook staff interviews, issued a questionnaire to nurses and prepared a process map describing IV trastuzumab administration (‘the now’) and a predictive process map of SC administration (‘the future’). The barriers to implementation were addressed and a risk assessment for handling of the mAbs was carried out.

The study concludes that SC mAbs offer an opportunity to redesign cancer treatment services with the patient at the centre. Specialist administration is not required and there is a saving in both time and drug acquisition costs. Both patients and healthcare professionals prefer SC trastuzumab. SC mAbs remove the need for aseptic manipulation and lengthy infusions, thereby releasing time to care for both pharmacy and nursing staff. Future remodelling might consider community-supported mAb administration and patient self administration.

For full article, please see Hospital Pharmacy Europe 75 (Autumn 2014)

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Food for thought

SC mAbs: remodelling traditional anticancer therapy