The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7230 p33
4 January 2003

Society summary

Society supports Welsh pharmacy plan

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Welsh Executive has welcomed the Welsh pharmacy strategy, "Remedies for success: a strategy for pharmacy in Wales", and says that it broadly endorses all the document's action points.

In a response produced after a detailed scrutiny of the strategy, the executive offers its general support for the review and for the action now required to ensure that pharmacy "continues to make the greatest possible contribution to the health of the population well into the new century".

The response gives specific comments on 25 of the 50 action points, either asking for greater clarity or advocating a change of emphasis. It has no comment on the remainder, apart from noting that many of the time scales specified in the document will need to be revised.

Welcoming the first action point, which calls for a wide-ranging and inclusive review of the future role, organisation and nature of community pharmacy in Wales, the response suggests that the review should identify the broad contribution made by community pharmacy, identify ways of recognising this contribution to ensure the sustainability of the pharmacy network, consider how community pharmacy's ability to generate prescriptions might be extended, explore the future information technology requirements of community pharmacy, explore how community pharmacies can continue to develop as "one-stop health shops" and consider how to use the existing relationships within the "pharmacy family" to release the full potential of community pharmacy. It also says that the review body should be adequately resourced so that it can commission research of its own and complete its investigation quickly.

Welcoming an action point concerned with the development of pharmacy, the response says that local health boards need sufficient resources to fully explore community pharmacy's potential contribution to health care. It warns that successful pilot schemes should not be allowed to die because of failure to identify permanent funding.

The executive welcomes the proposed establishment of a pharmacy public forum provided it can improve communication between pharmacy and the public. But it says that the strategy is not clear on how the forum would do this and suggests that a consultation document should be issued.

On a proposal that the Welsh Pharmacy Forum should develop risk management standards for primary care, the executive suggests that the Society would be a more appropriate body to take the lead on such projects.

Welcoming a proposal that the Welsh Assembly Government should commission a leadership and management development programme for pharmacists, the executive says that such a programme would benefit both primary and secondary care pharmacists.

Commenting on an action point concerned with the shaping the future pharmacy undergraduate curriculum, the executive says that any curriculum changes should be co-ordinated by the Society as the accreditation body for pharmacy degrees. It would also need to be involved in any measures to increase undergraduate pharmacy provision in Wales.

On a proposal that the medication error reporting system used in hospitals should be extended to primary care in 2003, the executive says that a number of systems should be evaluated before a primary care scheme is developed.

On the extension of prescribing rights to pharmacists, the response says that a key priority is investment in infrastructure and training.

The response also endorses a range of recommendations calling for action on topics such as information technology, original pack dispensing, NHS Direct. medicines management, practice research and parallel imports.