From Mr D. C. Vara, MRPharmS
SIR,-Currently, as we know, there is a huge nursing crisis and there are serious problems with recruitment. National Health Service hospitals will also feel the knock-on effects of recruitment problems, particularly as many nurses are coming up to retirement age. The telephone-line NHS Direct has had an effect because it is taking nurses away from patients when they could be giving hands-on care. I believe the resources employed at NHS Direct and walk-in centres would be much better deployed by having nurses working within community pharmacies where pharmacist and nurses team up to provide optimal care with ready access to pharmaceutical products. Such a scheme would undoubtedly be more cost-effective than operating as "splinter groups". Additionally, as most pharmacies are sited close to doctors’ surgeries, does it not make sense? The start-up costs along with PR would be negligible compared with the new schemes. As one of the biggest problems in recruiting nurses is the fact that flexible hours are not being offered, these could be introduced at individual pharmacies. The new schemes represent nothing but high profile for the Government. True patient benefit can only happen when the pharmacist is fully integrated in primary and secondary care. Pharmacies have always been "walk-in centres" for the advice offered by pharmacists. Making them "NHS walk-in centres" would certainly provide the health care needs of the public more accessibly and cost-effectively.
Dhiraj Vara
London SW15