The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 266 No 7150 p749-752
June 2, 2001

  The Profession
  PSNC
  In-store pharmacies
  Packaging
  Medicines supply
  Depression
  Locum pharmacy
  The army
  Methadone dispensing

The army

Career opportunities

From Major General D. S. Jolliffe, FRCP

I am grateful for the oppor tunity A. G. Hopkins (PJ, April 28, p575) has given me to update the pharmacy profession on developments in the provision of pharmaceutical care within the Army Medical Services (AMS) and of career opportunities in military pharmacy.

The AMS is most definitely aware of the need for pharmacists to be an integral part of the multidisciplinary health care team both in peace and on operations. Army pharmacists are required on operations to provide clinical support and medical logistic support advice to commanders within field hospitals, medical regiments, medical support squadrons and deployed medical headquarters. Although 60 years ago, pharmacists might have only been offered the rank of sergeant dispenser, I am pleased to be able to say that considerable progress has been made since then. Pharmacists have been commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps since 1976 and the army now offers a full career although with a rank ceiling within the profession of lieutenant colonel. Opportunities for pharmacists to be promoted beyond lieutenant colonel may well exist in the future, although this is more likely to be in a post with a much wider management role, not necessarily medical.

In terms of the standard of pharmaceutical care provided by the AMS, army primary health care medical centres are best equated to dispensing doctor practices in the NHS, as their standard of pharmaceutical care is probably as variable. However, the Army Medical Directorate has recently completed a thorough review of army primary health care and the current provision of pharmaceutical care was recognised to be one of the major areas in which the standard fell short of what was acceptable good practice. As a result, the review team recommended that this should be addressed as a matter of priority. The directorate is seeking £2.3m to address current shortcomings and intends to employ a number of solutions to address them. These will include, among others, the employment of more pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at primary care level, the centralisation of pharmacy services on an area/regional level where possible and possibly the use of some civilian community pharmacies.

Members of the armed forces and their families have every right to expect to receive a standard of care which is equal, if not better, than that provided within equivalent services within the NHS. Both military and Ministry of Defence employed civilian pharmacists have maintained a constant pressure of change within the defence medical services, which is now coming to fruition.

Mr Hopkins and the profession may be assured that the AMS recognise the importance of pharmaceutical care, in its widest sense, in the provision of a comprehensive health care service.

D. S. Jolliffe
Director General, Army Medical Services

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