General public not aware of pharmacists’ new role
Many people were confident enough to decide when to consult their
pharmacist |
Public perception of the role of pharmacists needs to change in order for pharmacists to carry out their new role in primary care, according to a Which? report.
The report reveals that most members of the public do not understand
the new role of pharmacists or know about the services they offer, although
they do generally trust pharmacists.
Most consumers believed that pharmacists were a useful option for dealing
with minor “known” ailments and many were confident enough
to decide what problems were suitable to take to a pharmacist.
However, some respondents were concerned about pharmacists encroaching
on “GPs’ territory”.
Colette McCreedy, director of pharmacy practice at the National Pharmacy
Association, said that it is not surprising that the public do not know
about the new role of pharmacists, because they have not been informed
about it yet.
“It would be wrong to promote a product still in the development
stage,” she
explained. “We should currently be concentrating on promoting the
new pharmacy contract to pharmacists, then to other health care professionals
and lastly to consumers in the autumn, when we are sure that what we
are promoting is available.”
Ms McCreedy explained that for this reason the NPA has been careful not
to be too explicit about the new contract in its latest “Ask Your
Pharmacist” campaign, but to prepare for the future by informing
the public about what pharmacists can offer now and giving an idea of
what lies ahead.
The Which? research, carried out on 1,744 people, focused on patient
choice in health care, and showed that increasing choice alone is not
enough to improve health care services. While people generally wanted
more opportunity for choice in terms of their health care, many actively
resisted the idea and some were intimidated by it.
However, the research also revealed that it tended to be the people,
young people and working people who were more likely to want more flexibility
and variety in primary care options and alternative primary care professionals,
including nurses and pharmacists.
Sue Sharpe, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee, commented: “We recognise that it will take time for
patients to become used to changes in the provision of health care services.
In recent years nurses have taken on many roles that were performed by
GPs and patients are now accustomed to this. As pharmacists develop their
services, patients will begin to understand these and their perceptions
will change.”
Regulation of over-the-counter medicines
Regarding over-the-counter medicines the new Which? report says
that a lack of clear and consistent protocols for reclassified
medicines
can lead to consumers receiving inconsistent, inaccurate and
unreliable advice. It suggests that there should be only one clear
protocol
for reclassified medicines, approved by the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society.
David Pruce, director of practice and quality improvement at
the Society, said:“Although the Society works closely with the
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and manufacturers
when producing practice guidance we do not endorse an individual
company’s protocol. The scope of our guidance is almost always
wider than an individual drug manufacturer’s product-specific
protocol and is applicable to switched products from other companies.”
The report also highlights concerns about the current regulatory
framework for medicines and criticises the MHRA for failing in
its duty to ensure that advertisements for over-the-counter medicines
comply with the Medicines Regulations 1994, and for not being an
adequate source of independent information. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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