Commissioning needs to be informed by strategic pharmaceutical advice, says Society's President
Craig Strong
Hemant Patel: pharmacists frustrated by changing rules |
Commissioning of NHS services has to be informed by strategic pharmaceutical advice and medicines management expertise if it is to be fully effective, Hemant Patel, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, told health minister Andy Burnham in his address to the 2006 British
Pharmaceutical Conference held in Manchester earlier this week (see p309).
“Commissioning must be inclusive and reflect the contribution of
the whole health care team. Pharmacists want to deliver the forward-looking
patient-focused,
cost-effective services,” he said.
Mr Patel argued that the involvement of pharmacists in local commissioning
would improve the links between hospital and community pharmacists, reducing
the numbers of so-called “frequent flyers”, patients who
return to hospital for treatment when they could be assisted locally.
“Pharmacists are eager, ready and willing to innovate, and build
capacity in the service,” he said, adding that pharmacies were
trusted public-private partnerships already regarded as providing a clinical
service by local
people. “Each is investing around £400,000 of private capital
and it is time for this powerful existing resource to be brought within
the commissioning process.” Mr Patel went on to say that the reconfiguration
of PCTs in England was an important opportunity to learn from the progress
that has been made in Scotland and Wales.
“In Scotland and Wales, primary care organisations have long enjoyed
the benefit of strategic advice from pharmacists. This ensures that planning
and commissioning is informed by a full understanding of pharmaceutical
care and medicines management,” he said.
He argued that pharmacy needs more influence at the local level if it
is to encourage PCTs to engage in a meaningful way.
“There is evidence and commentary from pharmacists working in the
primary care setting, that they are not being heard by many trusts. I
believe
that the Government and the profession must work together to ensure
that pharmacists’ views are not lost in the commissioning process.”
Mr Patel said that pharmacists were frustrated by the changing rules. “Each
time we get near enough to the goal to shoot, the goalposts move. This
makes it difficult to score.”
Mr Patel said that he wants to work with the minister to tackle the problems
associated with commissioning, the difficulties of accessing resources
and of establishing a proper
dialogue with PCTs. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader