LibDems want dermatology training for pharmacists
Training proposals for pharmacists from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin are seen by the Liberal Democrats as a way of improving skin care in Britain.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the group, Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat
shadow health secretary, said: “The role of the pharmacist can
be particularly important as a point both of advice and referral.” Mr
Burstow added that the development of distance-learning materials on
skin diseases was important. He said that skin diseases affect between
one in four and one in three of the population at any one time and that
one in five of all GP consultations are about skin conditions, generating
over 600,000 referrals to secondary care and some 60,000 inpatient episodes
every year. Yet dermatology does not register on the NHS radar because
the NHS is focused on mortality and cure.
“I think that we need to concentrate more on morbidity and prevention,” Mr
Burstow said. He added: “It is crucial to adopt a model of care
that addresses the biological, social and psychological needs of the
person.”
Christine Clark, principal research fellow in clinical therapeutics at
the Bradford school of pharmacy, said that pharmacists are keen to play
their part. Three things are likely to enable this. One is more POM to
P switches to improve access to treatment. This needs to be in tandem
with the second, an expanded list of items available for independent
prescribing by pharmacists because POM to P switches improve access for
affluent people but not for the socially disadvantaged.
Thirdly, the community pharmacists’ contract which is framed in
such a way as to reward patient care activities rather than dispensing,
will also enable this. |
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