News: Pharmacy inspection plan published

The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7164 p313-316
8 September 2001

Pharmacy inspection plan published

Community health councils are to be abolished and replaced by local patients’ forums, which will be allowed to inspect the premises of National Health Service pharmacy contractors. Local government overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) will also be able to monitor primary care services.

These are among the proposals set out in a Government consultation paper on increasing public involvement in the National Health Service. Primary and secondary legislation is to be introduced to implement the proposals, some of which had to be withdrawn from the Health Bill earlier this year in order to ensure its enactment before the dissolution of Parliament before the June general election.

The plan is to replace CHCs and the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales with statutory patients’ forums. Every NHS trust and primary care trust will have an independent patient forum, which will include an elected member of the trust board.

A second set of statutory local bodies, to be called Voice, will operate from a local government base to ensure that the views of patients and the public are incorporated into local planning decisions that affect health. In addition, there will be a national Commission for Public and Patient Involvement in Health, also to be called Voice, to oversee the new arrangements.

It has not yet been revealed exactly what powers of inspection of pharmacies patient forums will have, but the consultation document says that they will “be able to inspect every service that NHS patients use, including primary care services, and go behind the scenes, too”. Unannounced inspections could be allowed, because the consultation document asks for views on protocols to regulate unannounced inspections of sensitive services.

Mike King, head of professional development at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, said that pharmacy inspections by patient forums would be an unnecessary duplication of the inspection role of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which already enforced the standards necessary for good pharmacy services. “Pharmacists will not welcome further inspections, particularly bearing in mind the many problems and security issues in a busy pharmacy.”

“Involving patients and the public in healthcare”, Department of Health, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH (tel 08701 555455, website).

The consultation runs until October 12.