Primary care groups (PCGs) should increase the role of pharmacists in prescribing. This was one of the findings of "Progress and challenges 1999-2000", a survey published on May 15, that was conducted by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre in collaboration with the King's Fund. It tracked the progress of 72 English PCGs during their first six months of full operation.
Overall, the survey found that PCGs had made considerable progress towards meeting the Government's agenda of modernising the NHS, but that some areas needed further investment and action.
Pharmacists were providing prescribing support to the majority (87 per cent) of the assessed primary care groups and were well represented on both district and PCG prescribing committees. Of the district prescribing committees and PCG prescribing subgroups surveyed, 64 per cent included a PCG pharmacist, 58 per cent a pharmaceutical adviser from the health authority and 44 per cent a community pharmacist. Six PCGs had developed their own policies for managing the use of new medicines and 59 per cent were planning to introduce prescribing guidelines. Top priorities for primary care investment included prescribing support and clinical governance.
The number of PCGs either consulting or planning to consult community pharmacists regarding formulary development and repeat prescribing schemes was 62 per cent and 59 per cent, respectively. Other areas where pharmacists were to be consulted included management of minor ailments, chronic disease management and health promotion.
Only 21 per cent of the PCGs surveyed had consulted community pharmacists about clinical governance. In addition, of the 29 PCGs which either provided or intended to provide education and training to health care professionals, 23 hoped to use nurses but only 15 planned to use community pharmacists.
As in other areas of the profession, problems with recruitment of pharmacists were encountered, with 13 per cent of PCGs reporting a shortage of pharmacists.
Areas of interest to pharmacists that were highlighted as requiring improvement included a lack of adequate prescribing and budget management information, and a lack of use of prescribing systems by general medical practitioners (eg, Prodigy and Miquest). The most common prescribing targets included prescribing of generics, antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors.
The full report can be found on the NPCRDC website at http://www.npcrds.man.ac.uk/Pages/Research/PCG.htm.