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Monday, January 15, 2007
Community pharmacists need to be encouraged to play an even fuller
role in the provision of high quality healthcare, the Association
of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has told a parliamentary
inquiry.
Pharmacists have a major role to play, and the new contract should
emphasise the importance of their potential contribution to the
provision of healthcare services, says the ABPI response to the
All-Party Pharmacy Group inquiry into the future of pharmacy.
"The pharmacy contract is a significant first step in realising
the significant potential that the community pharmacist has to play
in healthcare - but there now needs to be a more confident stride,"
said Dr Richard Barker, Director General of the ABPI.
"The contract needs to put a strong emphasis on giving incentives
to community pharmacists to make addressing health needs the main
focus of their attention."
The response suggests that pharmacists' skills could be used to
take on more clinical roles so that they become fully integrated
into the primary care team in their community. They therefore need
access to patients' records and have comprehensive IT connectivity
to enable them to work closely with GPs.
Areas in which pharmacists' skills could be used on a wider scale
include:
- Enhancing concordance and compliance, so that medicines are
taken in a way that improves outcomes.
- Providing benefit/risk profiles of medicines and alternatives
to them.
- Improving the safer use of medicines, especially in nursing
and residential homes.
- Reducing waste.
- Playing an active role in health promotion and advice on other
services available.
- Training staff working for the NHS and local authorities on
medicines management.
"Pharmacists have the skills and ability to make a very substantial
contribution to people's health. To achieve this, the contract needs
to give them proper rewards for their efforts in this direction,"
Dr Barker said.
Click
here to view the ABPIs response to the APPG Inquiry into the future
of Pharmacy
For further information, please contact:
Crispin Slee 020 7747 1410 (office)
Roz Britton-Elliott 020 7747 1441 (office)
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