White Paper aims to expand pharmacists’ frontline role
 Pharmacists across England are set to play a bigger role in delivering frontline healthcare following publication last week of the Government’s “landmark” White Paper, which indicates that primary care trusts will in future be directed to commission certain services from community pharmacies.
Chief pharmaceutical officer for England, Keith Ridge, said: “This
is a landmark document for both patients and pharmacy. When implemented,
it will underpin better care of patients with medicines, will be a major
contribution to improving the health of the population and should complete
the transformation of pharmacy to a clinical profession.”
The long-awaited White Paper “Pharmacy in England — building on strengths, delivering the future” sets out the Government’s
vision of pharmacies as healthy living centres — promoting health,
preventing illness and providing a range of new services to complement
the work of GPs.
Proposals include a nationally available minor ailment scheme, support
for people with long-term conditions, screening for vascular disease
and some sexually transmitted infections and a bigger role in vaccination.
The Government plans to direct all PCTs to commission certain services
from pharmacy contractors according to local needs. This additional category
of service— directed enhanced services — will provide a useful mechanism in
addition to advanced and local enhanced services, it says. The approach
could be used for the proposed national minor ailment scheme and for
support of people with long-term conditions.
The White Paper sets out a direction of travel but key to making it happen
will be renegotiating the community pharmacy contract, said health minister
Ben Bradshaw as he launched the document. NHS Employers, on behalf of
PCTs, has been tasked with working with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee to see how the White Paper proposals can best be incorporated
within the contract.
In addition, two new pharmacist clinical directors
will be
appointed by the Department of Health later this year to help implement
the White Paper plans — one will focus on delivery in the community
and primary care and the other on delivery in hospitals.
The Government will be holding a series of public engagement events around
England, starting on 1 May in London, to hear what patients, consumers,
the NHS and healthcare professionals have to say about the planned changes.
It will then consult on key proposals this summer when the forthcoming
primary and community care strategy (part of the Darzi review) is complete.
These will include reform of the way in which the NHS contracts for services
and changes to exemptions for 100-hour
pharmacies.
The PSNC has confirmed that work to implement proposals will begin immediately,
with NHS Employers and the PSNC discussing a number of key issues. The
community pharmacy contractual framework will be refreshed over the next
two years as new services are developed, it said.
A series of impact assessments on specific proposals in the White Paper
is also published. All documents are available online
Details of the proposals in the White Paper and reaction from the profession
can be found in two News features (p429 and p430).
Leading article p422 (“More
haste, more speed”) |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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