Consider radical ways to release pharmacists from dispensary, says Keith Ridge
Independent prescribing could and should radically change the way that medicines are used in health care, and improve patient access to medicines, Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer for England told delegates at a recent conference.
He said that pharmacists need to grasp this opportunity and continue
to find innovative ways of freeing their time to undertake such activities.
He pointed out that many hospitals have already implemented automated
dispensing, for example, but suggested that more “radical” ways
of releasing pharmacists from the dispensary should be considered.
“For example, you should not, in my view, be afraid to consider
how best the private sector can be used to free pharmacy staff to do
things like
prescribe while still retaining value for money and a secure supply of
medicines,” he said. “What we cannot have is clinical cost
effective improvements in patient care being held up by a reluctance
to think differently or create innovative solutions.”
He referred to the current time as being the beginning of a new era for
pharmacy and for patients, but warned pharmacists not to forget their
essential traditional skills as new roles emerge.
Dr Ridge was speaking at the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and United
Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association joint conference in London last
week. |
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