News summary

New health minister’s first speech focuses on contribution of pharmacy

The first public speech by the newly appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state for health, Hazel Blears, focused on pharmacy and the contribution it can make to the health of patients.

Speaking at the College of Pharmacy Practice’s Schering Award dinner on June 20, the minister, who has responsibility for pharmacy services, said that medicines management was central to the government’s “Pharmacy in the future” plan for pharmacy.

Mrs Blears described the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee’s trial of community pharmacy-based medicines management for cardiac patients as an opportunity for community pharmacy to show exactly what difference it can make.

It was her view that this, together with the national medicines management project, co-ordinated by the National Prescribing Centre, will kick-start developments, provide demonstration models and support change management, so that patients gain the most benefit from the medicines they take.

It is also the minister’s belief that action is needed to ensure that medicines management becomes fundamental to pharmacy practice, supported by effective professional standards, regulation and accountability.

The full text of the minister’s speech is available as a PDF file (55K) here.

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