Pharmacy potential not being realised, says APPG
Pharmacists' potential as health care providers is not being realised
quickly or consistently enough, the All-Party Pharmacy Group has concluded
(PDF 2.8MB).
In the report of its inquiry into the future of pharmacy, which was published
this week, the group stresses that many good examples of pharmacy practice
and innovation are in progress. “They have happened thanks to the
determination of the pharmacists concerned and the willingness of local
stakeholders to collaborate,” it says. “The problem is that
these good examples are too few and far between. We do not see sufficient
signs of a momentum that might improve this patchy picture.”
Matters will not improve unless the barriers that are currently hampering
progress are removed, the group argues. These barriers include a poor
level of inter-professional collaboration, a need for a clearer national
voice for pharmacy and a lack of integration between pharmacists’ and
GPs’ IT systems. “None of these problems is insurmountable,” the
group insists. “While together they represent a major challenge
to achieving the changes we wish to see, they can be
addressed.”
The report recommends that there be an additional set of nationally funded
advanced services, including services for long-term conditions, sexual
health, managing minor ailments, diabetes screening, weight management
and a range of other diagnostic, screening and referral services. “These
advanced services should be funded from within the nationally agreed
sum for community pharmacy services, thus requiring an appropriate uplift
in that sum,” the group says.
The group also believes that the Department of Health should consider
introducing a quality and outcomes framework (QOF) for community pharmacists
in time for the 2008-09 funding year. QOF payments for GPs could also
be linked, the group says, to work with other health professionals, in
order to encourage collaborative working.
News feature p763
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