The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7205 p3
6 July 2002

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National Assembly for Wales: Key publications (more)

Welsh pharmacy strategy to be published in draft this month

A draft pharmacy strategy for Wales is to be published by the National Assembly for Wales before the end of July.

During a short debate on community pharmacy on 27 June, Jane Hutt, the assembly's Health and Social Services Minister, said that the paper will focus on meeting the pharmaceutical needs of individuals. Comments on the draft will be taken into account before a final document is produced which, Ms Hutt, said will help shape the future of pharmacy in Wales over the next 10 years.

"The future of pharmacy in primary care will depend on its ability to make the best use of pharmacists' skills across the NHS, including community pharmacy," Ms Hutt told the assembly. She agreed with assembly members who said that a more strategic approach to medicines management was needed in Wales and that community pharmacists could play a key role.

Eleanor Burnham, assembly member for North Wales (Lib Dem), called for lifestyle clinics to be run by pharmacists. She reported that one such clinic at Neyland, Pembrokeshire, had helped a 31-stone smoker with diabetes give up smoking and halve his weight in 14 months. His diabetes was now controlled.

"That success story shows the important role of community pharmacists in reducing health problems before they reach the stage of NHS treatment," she said. "Lifestyle clinics run by community pharmacists should be rolled out across Wales." She urged Ms Hutt to support a bid from Community Pharmacy Wales for 40 clinics.

Ms Burnham also called for pharmacists' formal training to encompass alternative medicine, including aromatherapy.

Geraint Davies, assembly member for Rhondda (Plaid Cymru), who is a pharmacist, said that proposals to delay legislation to provide for repeat dispensing in Wales had caused great concern in the profession (PJ, 22 June, p865).