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LONDON, April 3LONDON, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- News today of Government plans to extend services available through pharmacies in England is good news for patients, for the public and for local communities.
Pharmacies on the High Street and in every community already provide easy access to healthcare services for the public. 99% of the population can reach a community pharmacy by car, by walking or by public transport within 20 minutes. The plans will give the public better access to better choices for tackling prevention of illness and providing treatment. For example within three years pharmacies are expected to be in a position to provide treatment for half of minor ailments (coughs, colds, eye infections, stomach upsets, headaches) for patients who currently visit their GP.
Many pharmacies already deliver the additional services that the Government are proposing such as the treatment of long-term conditions including asthma and diabetes and also Chlamydia screening. Currently, the services are not uniformly available across the country as local commissioning of services varies. This makes it difficult for the public to appreciate the potential for pharmacies to support them with prevention of illness advice, support services, and also treatments. The government proposals will see pharmacies across England offering new public health services to patients.
Hemant Patel, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), said:
"Pharmacists have an important role to play in providing access to healthcare for the most vulnerable members of the community (for example the elderly, young mothers, those who may not have access to transport), and also in providing joined-up medicines advice across primary & secondary care. The recognition of this role is long overdue - but nevertheless welcome. There has been some resistance by those commissioning local services to include pharmacists as key providers of advice and treatment for their communities.
"The time is now right for pharmacists to seize this opportunity and to take steps to ensure that the public benefits from these proposals. The RPSGB are proposing to Government a set of professional standards to ensure a level of quality for the services. We look forward to working with pharmacists, patients, the public and Government to deliver accessible Health Centres in every community that wants them."
Paul Bennett, Chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the RPSGB, said:
"It is very exciting that the Government has listened to the profession's call to extend the clinical and advisory services offered to the public. This report offers a more clinical role to pharmacists in the community and also recognises the potential for hospital pharmacists to play a greater role in avoiding readmissions to hospitals through improved medicines management. It is also vital that access to patients' summary care records are made available and the further work to be undertaken by Government is urgent and welcome."
Notes to Editors:
Publication today of White Paper for pharmacy services: "Building on Strengths; Delivering the Future."
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