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Most positive Minister
Mr Dove paid the guest of honour Lord Hunt of King's Heath a particular
compliment: “The consensus within our profession is that you are more
positive about pharmacy and its potential in the National Health Service
than many [Ministers] in the past.”
Mr Dove pointed out that because for so long community pharmacy was
overlooked by Ministers, it led to a sense of frustration: “We know how
important a job we do for patients and the wider public. We know how much
they value us. We know what a gap there would be in local communities
if pharmacies were to disappear.
“And we also know how much more we can do for patients, given the political
will and the right resources. The encouraging sign is that you do too.”
Lord Hunt, Mr Dove explained, has demonstrated that commitment to community
pharmacy not just by words, but by actions as well. For some time the
profession recognised that the opportunity to realise the potential of
community pharmacy was in danger of being squandered.
“I'd like to think that what I said [last year] encouraged the Government
to produce its pharmacy programme,” he added.
“Last autumn you produced ‘Pharmacy in the future', a far-reaching
programme of change which went a long way to matching our aspirations.
And a few months later you brought forward the Health and Social Care
Bill. That's more action in a few months than there's been for the past
30 years.”
What it would mean for community pharmacists, Mr Dove went on, is that
it would give community pharmacists the opportunity to extend the range
of services they provide to patients.
“That does not mean neglecting the things we currently do. It means
building on them. Building on our traditional role of dispensing medicines
safely and efficiently. And building on the expert advice we provide day
in, day out, via the national network of community pharmacies. It means
building on the high degree of access and the good quality of services.”
Mr Dove argued that this vision paves the way for medicines management
which would fill the large gap that exists at the moment in primary care,
especially for those patients who have a chronic condition and are on
long-term medication.
“At the moment there is no one in the health care system who has clear
responsibility for managing a patient's medication and helping the patient
use it efficiently.”
Currently, Mr Dove said, no one has the responsibility to evaluate the
patient's progress with a drug, to determine whether it is the best treatment
for the condition, or even to ascertain whether it is the right dosage.
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