The Department of Health has today published a new Strategic Plan
for Community Pharmacy which aims to fully realise the potential
of community pharmacy services to support better health outcomes
from medicines and prevent illness.
This important piece of work was developed collaboratively by the
Department of Health and Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland
(CPNI), the representative body for community pharmacy owners,
and describes the vision and strategic priorities for community
pharmacy up to 2030.
Building on the trusted role that community pharmacies already
have in supplying medicines, the plan outlines a vision where
community pharmacies can offer more clinical services that
utilise the skills of their teams to offer the public safe,
convenient, and faster access to care. Across six strategic
priorities, the vision will be realised through four major reform
programmes for services, legislation, workforce, and digital
enablers that together will transform community pharmacy's role
within the HSC.
Implementation of the Strategic Plan will require targeted
investment to implement reforms, including new digital systems
and service developments that will improve access to care and
increase capacity within the HSC.
Health Minister said: “I am delighted to give
my support to this new Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan, which
delivers on a recommendation in the ‘Delivering Together'
strategy to outline a framework for realising the potential of
community pharmacy services, and which builds on the previously
agreed 3-year community pharmacy commissioning plan. I
acknowledge the involvement of CPNI working with my officials to
develop this plan and am keen that they continue to work
collaboratively with my Department to realise the vision for the
benefit of our population over the coming years.”
The Minister added: “Against the backdrop of the current severe
budgetary pressures and the multiple demands for additional
funding across all parts of health and social care, additional
investment continues to be provided to the community pharmacy
sector. However, more will be required to fully deliver this
Strategic Plan up to 2030.
“I am very conscious that the Community Pharmacy sector – like
all sectors across health and social care – is keen to see
further investment.”
Professor Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, said:
“The Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan describes a positive and
ambitious vision for community pharmacy in Northern Ireland. It
outlines how the delivery of planned reforms in the period up to
2030 will provide the public with continued access to medicines
from pharmacies plus an increased range of clinical services.
This will help realise the potential within community pharmacy
teams to provide quicker access to care for acute and long-term
conditions in local communities, utilising advances in medicines,
diagnostics, digital and medical technologies.”
The key priorities over the next ten years include:
•
expanding the range of clinical services available through
community pharmacies to improve access to patient care pathways
for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness;
•
maintaining and modernising systems for the safe and reliable
supply of medicines and professional advice from community
pharmacies;
•
developing the capacity and capability of the community pharmacy
workforce;
•
building the digital architecture needed to ensure safe,
efficient, paperless systems in the future.
•
strengthening community development links to help address health
inequalities and improve health literacy; and
•
promoting community pharmacy as a great place to train, work and
in which to build pharmacy careers.
Full delivery of the vision outlined in the plan will be subject
to funding. The Department will continue to work with Community
Pharmacy NI and the pharmacy profession to progress a phased
approach to implementation over the coming years.
Notes to editors:
- The Strategic Plan for Community Pharmacy is available on the
Department of Health website: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/community-pharmacy-strategic-plan-2030
- The level of government funding for community pharmacies in
NI compares favourably to other parts of the UK.
- Funding for community pharmacies in NI has increased in
recent years. The year-start investment total for community
pharmacy services was £104m in 2018/19. By 2023/24 it was £128m
and in April of this year it stood at £147m. There has therefore
been a £43m (41%) increase in six years.
