Primary care package should include pharmacy-led medication review
Pharmacist-led medication reviews should be included in a national primary care package designed to reduce emergency admissions, David Colin-Thomé, England's director for primary care, argues in a report published this week.
“Keeping
it personal — clinical case for change” sets
out changes to primary care designed to take the pressure off acute services,
including having pharmacists working more closely with GPs in order to
provide better services and better outcomes for patients.
“In future, comprehensive geriatric assessment, access to telephone
advice, pharmacist-led medication reviews and nurse-led case management
will
all be part of a primary care package which will also include social
services. … This approach will reduce emergency admissions, readmission
after treatment and allow for the early discharge of patients,” Dr
Colin-Thomé argues.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society believes that such joint working needs
to be based on closer links between the community pharmacy contract and
the general medical services contract.
“It is clear that GPs are in an ideal position to take the pressure
off acute services by providing more services within primary care,” Hemant
Patel, President of the Society, commented in response to the report. “However,
GPs need the support of the wider health care team, including pharmacists,
in order to do this effectively. Pharmacy and general practice have much
to gain from working together and this will benefit patients greatly.”
He added: “The new pharmacy contract is a step in the right direction
but we would like to see further alignment of the GP and community pharmacy
contracts to better facilitate joint working between the two professions.
It is important that GPs and community pharmacists dovetail their activities
in order to be cost-effective and patient-friendly.”
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The
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