Wessex region hears of possible new clinical roles for pharmacists
New clinical roles for pharmacists may come from the Department
of Health’s “Care
closer to home” project, according to Beth Taylor, national development
lead for pharmacists with special interests at NHS Primary Care Contracting.
Mrs
Taylor was speaking at the conference of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Wessex region on 30 September, held in association with Hampshire and
Isle of Wight Local Pharmaceutical Committee.
Mrs Taylor said: “There are likely to be two main groups of people
who could provide specialist care moving into community settings — those
who contract with the NHS (community pharmacists, GPs, dentists with
special interests) and specialist staff employed within the NHS, such
as specialist nurses, doctors and physiotherapists. Pharmacists with
special interests (for instance in substance misuse, dermatology or anticoagulation
services) have a real opportunity to provide care in ways which are attractive
to commissioners, but we should expect competition from the other professions.
Patients value the easy access to pharmacies and evidence of this should
be a key factor in many new clinical service proposals.”
The process
for accreditation of pharmacists with a special interest is being finalised
and will be published soon, she said.
Mrs Taylor told the regional conference that the English Pharmacy Board
of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is supporting these developments.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal