Pharmacy bodies have today (17 July) presented evidence to MPs on the role pharmacists can play in supporting people with long-term conditions.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and a number of Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) met with MPs in Parliament to discuss what the sector could do to help people with long-term illnesses.

Last week (11 July), All Party Pharmacy Group (APPG) chair Sir Kevin Barron wrote to pharmacy minister Steve Brine, urging him to consider four recommendations through which pharmacy could improve the care of people with long-term diseases and ease pressures on NHS services.

These include:

  • Giving patients with at least one condition access to a care plan
  • Giving pharmacists full access to patient records
  • Patients with long-term conditions should benefit from national high-quality services
  • Commissioning national pharmacy services

Both PSNC and the APPG have previously called on the Government for the community pharmacy contract to include new services so pharmacy teams can better support patients to manage their conditions.

 

‘Part of the solution’

 

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the APPG argued that this is an opportunity for pharmacy to be ‘part of the solution’.

Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) chief executive Malcolm Harrison said: ‘We are delighted to support this cross-sector work to raise awareness of the important work that community pharmacists do to help keep people with long-term conditions healthy and out of hospital.

‘At a challenging time for the pharmacy sector, events like this provide an important opportunity to remind MPs of the role that community pharmacy plays in relieving pressure on the health service.’

 

Providing more support

 

Sir Kevin said: ‘It’s great to see what pharmacy is capable of and how it could provide more support for people with long-term conditions.

‘For too long, people have been passed from pillar to post, with lots of variation in practice and uncoordinated care.

‘We will continue to urge the Government to commission services from pharmacies to meet this need.’