The Pembrokeshire pharmacy forum has successfully bid for the allocation of £166,000 from Pembrokeshire local health group's primary care development fund to expand the provision of prescribing advice and other pharmacy services for general medical practitioners and patients.
Mr Christopher Martin (chairman, Pembrokeshire pharmacy forum) told The Journal on July 25 that the money would be used by the LHG to employ, train and support a pharmacist to ensure that five different roles were fulfilled.
The five roles were: providing prescribing advice to general medical practitioners; reviewing repeat prescribing; reviewing medication in nursing homes; facilitating seamless care; and co-ordinating clinical governance in relation to pharmacy.
Mr Martin, who is also vice-chairman of the local health group, said that it was most likely that the person appointed would carry out the functions directly, but it would also be possible for community pharmacists who had the appropriate training to do the work themselves. In that case they would be able to use the new employee as a free locum. The work would be co-ordinated by the LHG's pharmaceutical adviser.
"The postholder will almost be a roving ambassador for the profession," Mr Martin said. "Community pharmacists have the contacts and he or she will come in and do the work on their behalf."
A second bid, for £16,000, to be spent on reviewing the prescribing of proton pump inhibitors, had also been successful, Mr Martin said.
The money would be allocated to GP practices according to the number of patients they had. GPs would then decide whether to ask a suitably trained community pharmacist or a trust employed pharmacist to do the work.
Mr Martin added that the forum was trying to make it possible for community pharmacists to spend a day at a time working in a hospital pharmacy, and vice versa. It would try to extend any such scheme to pharmacy technicians as well.