Health Bill: GPs can’t deliver reform programme by themselves, says Pharmacy Voice
The focus on GP led commissioning risks overlooking the contribution of other healthcare professionals, says Pharmacy Voice, the organisation representing pharmacy owners, upon the launch of the Health Bill today.
Pharmacy Voice chief executive, Rob Darracott, said:
“The NHS is about more than doctors, and GP commissioning has to be about more than GPs. The Health Secretary acknowledges that pharmacists have an important and expanding role in supporting better health, but we now need to see his words backed by action. Pharmacists see more people, more often, even than GPs do.
“There has to be partnership right across the service, making the most of all members of the NHS family, if it is to become ‘the envy of the world’ as envisaged by Andrew Lansley.“
Pharmacy Voice supports the principle that front line health care professionals, together with patients, should direct NHS investment. Community pharmacists serve on the NHS front line – people simply walk in off the street for immediate access to expert advice and treatment - and should therefore be fully included in decision-making at all levels.
It is vital that responsibility for commissioning doesn’t divert GPs’ attention from the immense challenge of supporting an ageing population and handling the explosion of chronic disease. By stepping up community pharmacy’s role in the treatment of minor ailments, health improvement and the management of medicines, pharmacists can free up GPs for work that requires their unique skills, for example the holistic management of complex long term conditions.
GP consortia will be constructed around patient lists, but there are many people, sometimes in vulnerable groups, who are not registered. Community pharmacists see many who are not registered with GPs – and we need to know that this group will be looked after. Increased public investment in community pharmacy would mark a shift to more equitable health provision by bringing a wider range of NHS services into the heart of neighbourhood communities where they are within reach of the people who need them most.
The Bill makes a virtue out of autonomy for commissioners. Taxpayers and patients need to know that good governance and accountability will not be sacrificed on the altar of autonomy. Non-GP providers of primary healthcare, including pharmacies, need this assurance too.
Community pharmacy offers the potential for swift and sure progress towards better health outcomes, and pharmacy service development need not be put on hold until new commissioning structures bed down. The period between now and the settling in of new commissioning arrangements must be one of progress in the NHS, not sliding back. For example, early moves on a national medicines concordance scheme could bring about tangible benefits in every community.
Meanwhile, the Bill legislates for a number of changes related to the planning, distribution and remuneration of pharmacy services. These may not make the headlines, but they will directly affect the delivery of NHS services on people’s doorsteps. We will be looking carefully at the details. If Parliament gets the pharmaceutical provisions wrong, patients and public will feel the pain directly.
Sarah White, Press Officer 01727 795901 / 07920 203 051
Pharmacy Voice represents pharmacy owners.
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