Incentives are needed for GP collaboration, CCA tells APPG inquiry
Incentives for GPs to collaborate with pharmacists need to be included in the general medical services (GMS) quality and outcomes framework (QOF), the Company Chemists' Association argued last week in its response to the All-Party Pharmacy Group inquiry into the future of pharmacy.
Georgina Craig, head of communications at the CCA, said that there are
currently no incentives for GPs to work more closely with pharmacists.
She told The Journal that there is a need to create such incentives because
pharmacists cannot generate new services without the co-operation of
commissioners.
The CCA’s response recommends that a new GMS QOF indicator should
be included to encourage GPs to generate repeat prescriptions for pharmacists
to dispense and that, in the long term, pharmacists should take on responsibility
for managing the repeat dispensing process.
The CCA also advises an “alignment and reworking of QOF incentives
for practice-led medication review to reward general practice for working
with and supporting community pharmacy delivery of MURs and medication
review services on the practices’ behalf”.
Mrs Craig said: “It is important that pharmacy now makes quick
progress. The profession is at a stage where there are all the right
tools to provide more clinically focused services, but now the question
is about creating opportunities to do this.” She said that the
CCA’s response highlights the need for advanced services to be
further developed though the community
pharmacy contract. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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