Commenting on the Government’s new 10 Year Health Plan for England, RPS England Board Chair Tase Oputu said:
“We welcome the Government’s ambition to transform the NHS, deliver more care in local communities and prioritise prevention. Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are core professions, supporting patient access to treatment and enhancing health outcomes in community pharmacy, general practice, as well as in hospital.
“The RPS Vision for Pharmacy Professional Practice in England outlined how pharmacists, across all areas of practice, can be part of the delivery of person-centred care closer to home and we are pleased to see this as a priority in the 10 year plan.
“With the right investment and integration of pharmacy teams into neighbourhood health services under the plan, pharmacy teams can play a transformative role in improving population health, support prevention and enable better care across the NHS.
“We are pleased to see the plan highlights pharmacy’s growing clinical role, but delivering it depends on a supported and skilled workforce. Investing in pharmacists across all sectors is vital to ensure safe, equitable, and accessible care for patients.
“Progress made through Pharmacy First is encouraging, and we urge accelerated support for community pharmacist prescribing to unlock the profession’s potential and expand access to treatment.
“Access to the single patient record is essential to improving continuity of care but must be backed by investment in technology and training.
“Community pharmacists have long provided beacons of care, advice and treatment in their neighbourhoods. As the Government considers changes to primary care contracts and the new ‘neighbourhood health service’, it is important that pharmacists are included in strategic decision making for patient pathways wherever medicines are involved. The combined strategic and clinical leadership of pharmacy is vital to lay the best possible foundations for reform.
“Whilst we support the focus on community and neighbourhood care, this must not come at the expense of investment in hospital pharmacy services. Aseptic infrastructure, for example, is critical to the delivery of specialist cancer care and clinical trials and must be prioritised to meet growing demand. Similarly, delays in implementing electronic prescribing systems continue to hinder productivity and patient safety in hospitals. We are concerned that any disinvestment within secondary care may cause unintended consequences and have a negative impact on patient care.
“This announcement comes at a time of significant cuts to Integrated Care Boards which is at odds with the ambitions of the plan. We have been engaging with NHSE to ensure that strong pharmacy leadership is retained and visible across the system to develop new services, ensure the best use of resources and deliver savings where possible.
“The plan for MHRA and NICE to create a joint task force to approve medicines is welcome. We look forward to the Government outlining in its upcoming Life Sciences Strategy how it will resource and enable pharmacists to deliver new treatments and support the best use of innovative medicines.
“The establishment of a single formulary can improve cost control and reduce the postcode lottery of access to medicines. A one-size-fits-all approach also reduces flexibility and it’s essential that clinicians retain autonomy to exercise their own judgement to benefit individual patients.
“RPS will work to ensure pharmacy remains front and centre in the development of the neighbourhood health service and we await further details from Government.”
RPS is working with the Pharmaceutical Journal to hold a roundtable on the Ten-Year Plan on Tuesday 30 September.
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