The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7160 p191-193
11 August 2001

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The new NHS

Forceful representation has its rewards

From Dr D. H. Maddock, FRPharmS

The Department of Health has made the document “Shifting the balance of power within the NHS” available on the internet. As its title implies, the document sets out the way forward for the National Health Service. Primary care trusts (PCTs) in England will become the lead NHS organisations in assessing need, planning and securing all health services and improving health.

Revenue allocations will be made direct to PCTs rather than to strategic health authorities. PCTs will take on responsibility for the management, development and integration of all primary care services in the light of the changes set out in the NHS Plan, and “Pharmacy in the future”. This will be achieved by allocating 75 per cent of total NHS funds direct to PCTs to secure the provision of services by 2004. In future PCTs will assume the responsibility for securing the provision of medical, pharmaceutical, dental and optical services.

When primary care groups were set up we were frustrated locally when attempting to secure pharmacist representation at board level. GPs responded by saying that they had achieved their demands through forceful negotiations with the Department of Health. They further indicated that since national pharmaceutical bodies had not pursued the same strategy they obviously thought they had no real case to answer.

One must implore our leaders not to have such an ostrich-like approach to the “Shifting the balance of power” document. If the profession does not achieve representation at the highest level it is doomed to be a simple distribution service. Forceful representation does have its rewards, as demonstrated by the results of the “black list” negotiations during my tenure as President of the Society.

Hopkin Maddock
Padstow
Cornwall

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