Society evidence to NHS funding review calls for greater investment
in pharmacy
Increased Government investment is needed to enable pharmacists to make a greater contribution to improving the public's health, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says in evidence to a Treasury review of the funding of the National Health Service.
The review is the second to be conducted for the Treasury by Derek Wanless,
the former NatWest chief executive. The report of the first review, “Securing
our future health: taking a long-term view”, published in 2002,
assessed the resources needed to deliver high quality, comprehensive
NHS services over the next 20 years. It looked at three different scenarios
based on different levels of engagement by the public in relation to
their health.
“
Wanless 2” is looking at what would be required to implement the “fully
engaged” scenario, in which public engagement with health is high,
resources are used efficiently and there are high rates of technology
uptake.
According to Anthony Harrison, senior fellow at the King’s Fund
and an adviser to the Society, the second review represents “the
first systematic attempt by government to consider what the right balance
should be between health care and public health measures”.
Because “Wanless 2” focuses on community-based services,
the Society’s submission has gathered evidence on the contributions
of community and primary care pharmacists. The submission highlights
the contribution of pharmacists to:
• Chronic disease management in primary care
• Improving the prevention and treatment of major diseases
• Services for deprived and socially excluded groups
• Reducing health inequalities
• Empowering people to take more control over their own health and health
care
• Facilitating increased self-care for minor ailments.
The submission also makes the case for greater investment in research
that explores the costs and benefits of innovative pharmacy services.
It emphasises how substantial government investment in post-registration
training, development and technology will be needed to enable pharmacists
to take on new roles and services.
The Society’s head of policy development, Eileen Neilson, said: “The
second Wanless report is likely to be influential in Treasury decisions
on the funding of preventative health measures and measures to reduce
health inequalities. To have an influence on the inquiry we need to produce
sound evidence for investing in pharmacists and pharmacy services.
“Currently, the evidence supports greater investment in pharmacy
but there are significant gaps in the evidence base. In particular, while
enormous
sums are invested by pharmaceutical companies in the development of new
medicines, there is very little research on making more effective use
of existing medicines. The current systems for translating pharmaceutical
innovation into successful medicine taking are much less effective than
they could be”.
The submission can be downloaded from the policy
section of the Society’s
website.
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