Yesterday (27 January), Jonathan Burton MBE, Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board, attended a speech by the Scottish First Minister, John Swinney, and used the opportunity to seek assurances that Scottish Government would provide meaningful support for pharmacy.

The First Minister was in Edinburgh, speaking about measures the Scottish Government would be taking to modernise and renew the NHS in Scotland. He discussed putting more resources into primary care and improving access to care for patients.

Pharmacists in the community are taking on more responsibility within primary care than ever before. More patients are being directed to community pharmacies for everything from minor ailments to medication reviews and prescribing services. From 2026, every pharmacist who qualifies will be prescriber ready, meaning that they can independently prescribe in the community. This has the potential to revolutionise primary care and drive more patients to community pharmacy as a first port of call. However, in order that community pharmacy can play its full part in supporting patients and the wider healthcare system, specific investment in community pharmacy is required.

Following the First Minister’s speech, Jonathan asked the First Minister to provide assurances that support for community pharmacy would be put in place, including in delivering postgraduate training, clinical supervision and, critically, providing community pharmacists with access to patient records to enable pharmacists to deliver services as effectively and safely as possible.

In response, the First Minister acknowledged that the pharmacy profession was a key partner in delivering the NHS across Scotland and said that ensuing adequate support for pharmacists in the ways described was entirely reasonable.

Speaking after the event, Jonathan Burton said:

“It was great to be here today to hear the First Minister lay out the Scottish Government’s plan for more investment in primary care.  This investment is critical if we are to support people to stay well and be treated closer to home.

“In order that this investment is transformational, it is critical that the money is directed to the right services and projects. I was pleased to make the case for pharmacy today and ask the First Minister to commit to using some of this resource to ensure that pharmacists have access to training support and patient records, which are a vital enabler to pharmacists delivering transformational care in the community.

“RPS in Scotland looks forward to continuing this conversation with Scottish Government so that this investment is realised and that patients benefit from this.”