Cancer networks should include pharmacy leads
Including pharmacy leads in cancer networks is good practice, according
to the National Audit Office’s progress report (PDF 600K) on the
NHS Cancer Plan published last week.
Recruiting for such positions is a challenge. Only 12 of the 17 lead
pharmacist positions are filled and only eight of those are full time
positions.
The NAO concludes that cancer networks are not always as effective as
they could be in terms of staffing, cancer services planning or in receiving
full support from other parts of the health care system. The NAO judged
that, overall, the NHS Cancer Plan was well conceived and that substantial
progress had been made to date. The downward trend in mortality rates
observed in England is ahead of the Department of Health’s trajectory
to achieve the target of a 20 per cent reduction in mortality from cancer
in persons under 75 years by 2010.
Tim Root, chairman of the British Onocology Pharmacy Association, commented: “[The
report] clearly recognises two key priorities identified by BOPA: development
of a robust workforce strategy including education and training, and
the establishment of network lead pharmacist posts.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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