‘Pharmacy first’ success
MORE than 100,000 patients have been referred to pharmacists in a scheme intended to ease the pressure on GPS and hospitals.
Having begun in October, the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service has been hailed a “fantastic success”.
Some 114,275 patients with minor illnesses or urgent medication needs were seen through the project, which aims to reduce the number of GP and A&E visits.
Patients were given same-day referrals to their local pharmacist for assessment and treatment after calling the 111 helpline.
Call handlers dealt with 64,067 requests for urgent medication, for conditions including diabetes and asthma, during the first 10 weeks of the service launching.
And advice was given to 50,208 people with minor illnesses, such as sore throats and earaches.
The latest NHS performance figures show record numbers for attendances at A&E departments, ambulance call outs and NHS 111 requests for help.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I want to see pharmacists ready and able to do much more to help people stay healthy and prevent pressure on hospitals.
“This ‘pharmacy first’ approach makes life easier for patients and helps reduce pressure on the NHS. I want to see more patients with minor illnesses assessed close to home, saving them unnecessary trips to A&E or the GP, and helping people get the care and advice that they need quicker.
“Thousands of patients receiving same-day advice from highly skilled pharmacists is exactly what we need. The community pharmacy is an integral and trusted part of the NHS and we want every patient with a minor illness to think ‘pharmacy first’.”
The service, which has seen 10,610 pharmacies sign up, is funded through the £2.5billion-ayear fund agreed in the five-year “community pharmacy contractual framework”.
The scheme is expected to expand to include referrals from GPS by the end of the year.
PHARMACIES are a mainstay of our high streets and communities.
The familiar green cross can appear like a beacon of hope for a parent looking to alleviate the symptoms of a sick child, or for anyone in need of expert health advice on a lunchbreak.
They are the most accessible part of our NHS.
It’s this place, right at the heart of our communities, which makes their role in our health service so critical, acting as a first port of call right where and when we need it.
But for too long we have been under-using the skills of our pharmacists – highly skilled professionals who undergo a minimum of five years of training.
I want to see pharmacists do far more, doing everything they’re so well qualified to do, as they do in other countries, like France.
My plan, that for minor ailments you see your pharmacy first, is good for us all.
For patients, it means quicker access to the NHS.
For GPS and the rest of the NHS it will help relieve the pressure. And for pharmacists, it means working to the top of their capabilities.
Far more than handing out prescriptions, pharmacists’ training means they’re able to quickly help with issues ranging from how to use those medicines correctly and minimise any side effects, to advice on self-care and treatment.
They are as much a part of our valued NHS family as our nurses and GPS. Put bluntly, we will not be able to relieve the pressure on our health service without them.
I will make it my personal mission to unleash the full potential of our pharmacies.
We’re going to harness our army of pharmacists to do all they can to support the NHS.
The early results from the “pharmacy first” scheme launched last October are so promising.
This is part of this government’s work to deliver on the people’s priorities and strengthen our NHS, backed by our record financial commitment to the NHS of £33billion extra every year within the next five years, which we’re enshrining in law. We’re delivering on our promise to make sure the NHS is always there for you.