The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7258 p74
19 July 2003

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Institute for Public Policy Research: NHS staff and patients need new roles to improve health (more)

Expanded pharmacist role suggested by think tank

Pharmacists' roles should be expanded as part of a general reform of the health care workforce, says a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, an independent think tank.

The IPPR report criticises successive governments for being too preoccupied with structural reform when changes to working practices are what is needed. The Government should provide greater clarity about its intentions to reform the health workforce, it recommends.

"There has been a tendency to presume that reforming working practices primarily involves delegating doctors' responsibilities to nurses," the report states. "New roles and responsibilities for other members of the health team must be explored in future, particularly in primary care and across the primary and secondary care sectors."

Although it recognises that pharmacists' jobs are currently being extended, eg, through new prescribing roles, it says they could be expanded further still. "Pharmacists could become responsible for managing the medicines of patients with long-term conditions, monitoring patients' health status and screening for undiagnosed conditions."

However, it notes that certain barriers stand in pharmacists' way. For example, increasing workload, delays in implementing electronic patient records and problems with the way pharmacists are paid.

Among the problems with the health service highlighted in the report are a lack of co-ordination of services and a need for clarification of roles of different staff. It also suggests that there is a danger in increasing specialisation of staff, which should not come at a price of a lack of investment in generalist skills.

An insufficient focus on primary care is also described.

Expanding existing health professionals' roles is one option, but the IPPR also suggests that new types of health practitioners could be created. For example, "information brokers" could provide patients with information about their conditions. Health care practitioners are another option. They could combine the skills of nurses, allied health professionals and doctors in training, similar to the role of the physician assistant in the United States.

Issues around regulation of health professionals, fair systems of pay and workforce planning are also covered.

"The Future Health Worker" (price £9.95) can be ordered through the IPPR website.