The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7217 p432
28 September 2002

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British Pharmaceutical Conference 2002 News

Pharmacy skill mix report is published

The Department of Health has published its long-awaited consultation paper on skill mix. Its publication was announced by Health Minister David Lammy in his address to the British Pharmaceutical Conference on 25 September (see p444).

The discussion paper, entitled "Pharmacy workforce in the new NHS: making best use of staff to deliver the NHS pharmacy programme", sets out the Department's views on the changes that are needed. However, it does not represent settled policy and further consultation is likely on particular aspects of it.

The most radical proposal in the paper is for the establishment of pilot protocol medicines supply schemes in which suitably qualified and accredited pharmacy technicians can dispense and supply medicines under protocols but without the personal supervision of a pharmacist.

The paper says that discussions will be necessary on how such schemes would be approved or accredited, on the training and qualifications needed by technicians, on protocols and clinical governance arrangements, on the inclusion of Controlled Drugs and on circumstances under which pharmacists could leave the pharmacy premises to undertake other professional duties.

The Journal will be looking at the discussion paper in more detail next week.

In his speech, the Minister also announced a third wave of a further 40 medicines management pilot schemes under the national collaborative scheme being run by the National Prescribing Centre.

"This brings to over 100 primary care trusts, over a third of the total, which will be running medicines management schemes — a step towards our goal of having a scheme in each PCT area," the Minister said.

Mr Lammy said in his speech that he had noted pharmacists' concerns about a number of areas. These included slow progress on pharmacist prescribing, the need to modernise the community pharmacy contract and the need for pharmacists to have access to relevant clinical information in patients' medical notes. He said that he hoped to see progress on all of these issues over the next year.