Further listening events
There will be five further “listening events” throughout
England over May 2008:
• Bristol 8 May
• Birmingham 13 May
• Manchester 19 May
• York 20 May
• London 22 May
The events are organised by the Department of Health
and NHS Primary Care Contracting. They are free to attend but participants
must
register.
Details, including online registration |
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Health minister Dawn Primarolo has defended the Government’s timetable
for implementation of proposals in England set out in its recent
pharmacy White Paper (PJ, 12 April 2008, p430).
Speaking at the
first in a series of “listening
events” designed to inform formal consultation on the proposals
planned for later this year, Ms Primarolo acknowledged that some commentators
have questioned the speed at which the Department of Health will effect
the transformation envisaged in the White Paper.
She responded: “It would be easy to insist that our action plans
set out a demanding timescale, with everything accomplished by, say,
this time next year. And of course if we can manage that, it would be
very good. But we have to be realistic and recognise what is achievable.”
Ms Primarolo pointed out that, if meaningful change is to be delivered,
the action plan depends on working with pharmacists, the NHS and the
public. “To tie everything to artificial deadlines would risk undermining
the very real sense of purpose and commitment I believe we have engendered,” she
warned.
“But that does not mean that I or anyone else should be
prepared to sit back and wait. And I am as keen as you are to see how
quickly we can move to implement these proposals,” she insisted.
Jeannette Howe, head of pharmacy at the DoH, later emphasised Ms Primarolo’s
remarks: “What I think we have set is a realistic timetable for
how we take things forward. That does not mean to say we are going to
sit back and do nothing for the next few weeks. We will be looking to
see how we can tackle some of those early things while we do further
work and hold discussions on others.”
Ms Primarolo also indicated that she wants to ensure a spirit of co-operation
between pharmacy and medicine endures. “It is not about preferring
one sector over another. It is about maximising the contribution everyone
makes to ensuring high quality services for patients and the public,” she
said.
However, she added that it is right that the Government examine
how best it should reform the current system to ensure that any regulatory
blocks and inconsistencies are removed and patient access and convenience
are enhanced.
“My aim is to build a platform that rightly makes the best use of the
clinical skills and expertise available. That is an integral part of
delivering better services to patients and working to tackle health inequalities,
promote healthier lifestyles and improve the health of all the people
in England. I believe that the White Paper demonstrates this Government’s
continued commitment to pharmacy and its services,” she said.
Dispensing doctors and
appliance contractors
Ms Primarolo attempted to allay fears expressed
by dispensing doctors and appliance contractors about their future
viability if White Paper
proposals on market entry are implemented.
“I know that some of you have expressed doubts about your future.
Let me make it absolutely clear that this is not and never has
been our intention.
“You play a pivotal role in ensuring the continued access to pharmaceutical
services and promoting patient care for those who need it most
and I know that patients value highly the services that you provide.
And I want to ensure that the public continues to enjoy that,” she
said. |
The
100 participants at the listening event — mainly primary care
trust representatives and community pharmacists but with some representation
from hospital pharmacists, dispensing doctors and members of the public — took
part in seven workshops throughout the day to discuss the White Paper
proposals around:
- Commissioning for quality
- Ensuring high quality services
and revising payment mechanisms
- Relationships
- Healthy living centres/service
development
- Market entry (pharmacy)
- Market entry (dispensing doctors)
- Communications/raising public awareness
One of the outcomes from those
workshops was that there should be an immediate moratorium on 100-hour
pharmacy applications. It was believed
that while the proposals around 100-hour pharmacies in the White Paper
were being consulted on, there would be a rush of applications as contractors
sought to avoid any additional requirements that may later come into
force. If an immediate moratorium is not applied then the horse will
have already bolted, participants said.
To conclude the day, a question and answer session was held with Keith
Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer, Mrs Howe and Peter Dunlevy, community
pharmacy policy manager at the DoH, as well as Felicity Cox, community
pharmacy lead at NHS Employers.
The issue of income security versus market freedom was raised. Mrs Howe
stressed that the right balance is needed. “I think that if you
have too much security there is not the stimulation to innovate, and
create and improve services, and if you move to full market freedom then
that is full-on competition and everything that comes with it,” she
said.
“That is why we proposed the directed enhanced service as
a way of trying to bring some momentum into service commissioning but
to be able to do it in such a way that it can reflect local needs.”
In response to a question about how the proposed new services will be
funded, Mrs Howe said that she expects the funding to come via a number
of routes, which will be informed by further discussion and negotiation.
“But
some of the services, quite clearly, we expect to come with new money,
like the vascular risk assessment programme,” she added. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal