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Community pharmacy needs to adapt to meet the needs of a changing population at a time of unprecedented challenge for health and care in England, according to a new report from The Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund.
The report was commissioned by Community Pharmacy England to develop a vision for the direction of community pharmacy and to describe the actions needed to turn that vision into reality.
It sets out how community pharmacy can contribute to key policy goals around population health, prevention and increasing levels of demand in primary care. It also explores the barriers which have held progress back in the past.
The report says that community pharmacies will play a key role in supporting people and communities to stay healthy and well, with a particular focus on reducing health inequalities. They could even act as local health and wellbeing hubs that support their communities to stay well and prevent ill health.
There is also potential for pharmacists to directly support patients with long standing conditions such as asthma and hypertension.
The independent report follows almost a year’s worth of research and consultation with the sector and wider stakeholders and advocates for community pharmacy.
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “This independent vision for community pharmacy lands at a pivotal moment as we look to conclude negotiations on the £645m investment in community pharmacy and prepare for discussions on what comes after April 2024. With community pharmacies in crisis, the sector needs to influence more effectively than ever before and working with a wide range of partners who also have influence in Government and the NHS – like these two leading think tanks – is an absolute must.”
Community pharmacy is not a substitute for GPs
Although the Royal College of General Practitioners welcomed the recommendations it said that pharmacists are not a substitute for GPs, and the management of long-term conditions such as asthma and hypertension can be complex and can require clinical examination or near patient testing which pharmacists are currently unable to do due to a lack of facilities.
The College said it also could not endorse proposals to change dispensing laws to allow prescribed medicines to be given to patients without a pharmacist on the premises as this runs a real risk of compromising patient safety.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair, added: “GPs are working under enormous workload pressures amid severe workforce shortages, so we are keen to hear about any initiatives that could improve access to care for our patients.
“Our hardworking pharmacist colleagues do an excellent job for their communities and are providing invaluable support to many GP practice teams against a backdrop of the pressures we’re under. Patients also value and trust their local pharmacists, so we are generally very supportive of them taking on greater responsibility for more routine care. We also need greater public awareness around the services and patient care that pharmacists can now offer as not every patient needs to see a GP.
“We welcome the expansion of responsibilities for pharmacists to assist in managing some common conditions with improved prescribing powers but, as the Nuffield/Kings Fund report suggests, there would need to be wide-reaching and comprehensive changes, not only in an extension of the clinical training for pharmacists and a joined up patient record with GP services, but also greater investment and more practical measures to ensure there is sufficient space for consultations and where patients can receive confidential advice.”