- Government freeing up pharmacist time so they can treat
patients more
- Qualified pharmacy staff could get expanded roles to improve
patient access and allow pharmacists to focus more on frontline
care
- Move part of delivery drive of the 10 Year Health Plan,
moving care closer to the community
Patients will benefit from better access to pharmacy services
under new proposals set out by the government today.
As part of the immediate work to start delivering the 10 Year
Health Plan, the Department of Health and Social Care has
published plans to modernise pharmacy supervision rules, to allow
registered pharmacy technicians to take greater responsibility
and enable pharmacists to focus more on frontline patient
care.
The changes, which have been welcomed by the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society, the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK and the
General Pharmaceutical Council, will modernise pharmacy practice
and make better use of the skills within pharmacy teams.
This will give pharmacies greater flexibility in how they deploy
their staff, freeing up pharmacist time to deliver more clinical
services and to help advise patients on prevention as well as
sickness as part of the government's Plan for Change while
ensuring that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can work to
the top of their profession.
Minister said:
We have hit the ground running in delivering our 10 Year Health
Plan, and this is another immediate and tangible change that will
mean patients get better care closer to their home, while we also
modernise the NHS.
Pharmacists will be able to spend more time providing clinical
care, while qualified pharmacy technicians can take greater
responsibility for routine tasks.
This will improve patient experience and help avoid delays in
accessing medicines when the pharmacist is not available.
These are simple, common-sense changes that will help pharmacies
run better, saving staff and patient time.
The draft legislation follows extensive consultation with
pharmacy professionals and stakeholders. It is expected to come
into effect by the end of 2025 and the bulk of the measures will
have a one-year transition period to allow for the development of
professional standards and guidance.
It will expand who can supervise the dispensing of medicines,
empower the pharmacy workforce to deliver better care and unlock
clinical expertise, so communities are served more effectively by
their local pharmacy and delivering on the Plan for Change by
improving care in the community and reducing pressure on the NHS.
This is another example of this government's commitment to
support the pharmacy sector - and builds on the package of
recently enacted measures to dispense medicines more quickly and
efficiently.
We have invested a record amount in the sector with the largest
uplift in funding seen by community pharmacy for over a
decade.
These further measures will help transition community pharmacy
from being largely focused on dispensing medicines to becoming
integral to the Neighbourhood Health Service, supporting the
shift from hospital to community set out in our 10 Year Heath
Plan.
