The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7300 p630
22 May 2004

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Modernisation board notes a prescribing revolution

Last year marked the beginning of a prescribing revolution, according to the 2004 annual report from the NHS Modernisation Board. The report considers changes being made to the NHS from the point of view of patients.

Writing in the “Caring in many ways” report, board member Beth Taylor, specialist principal pharmacist, London pharmacy services, Southwark Primary Care Trust, says that there is overwhelming interest in more flexible access to medicines.

“People want to be able to get more prescription medicines from community pharmacies, but they also want their GP to be kept in the loop when appropriate.”

The report notes the progress being made in precribing rights for pharmacists and other health professionals.

Mrs Taylor also comments: “Team working is becoming more prevalent. Take mental health for instance, where dedicated teams are established to treat clients, drawn from across the professions to which pharmacists contribute. This is already happening in cancer care, which is supported by specialist pharmacists.” She added: “So much has happened so quickly that we need to be alive to all these new options and consider how our patients can benefit. The 1968 Medicines Act has had more changes in the past five years than in the previous 30, so it really is a new era in the history of prescribing.”

Mrs Taylor explained to The Journal that patients were interested in getting the medicines they needed when they needed them conveniently from pharmacies. But that GPs only needed to know about relevant prescription treatments and not one-off purchases for acute conditions.

So far as pharmacy and the development of a patient-centred NHS is concerned, Mrs Taylor said: “Pharmacists need to look at the overall direction of travel that has been reported. They should take on a patient focus on services and how they are provided.”

She explained that pharmacists should be getting involved with primary care trusts and patients to design local services. “The Government has made it clear that they want local decision-making.”