NPA Warns PCTs Not To Exploit Pharmacy As A Cash Cow In GP-Led Health Centers

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 03 Jul 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The NPA has told PCTs planning new GP-led health centers to consider the impact on community pharmacy before rolling out plans for changes to their primary care infrastructure.

In a letter to all PCT Chief Executives, Stephen Fishwick, NPA Head of External Relations explains:

"GP consolidation on any significant scale would have an appreciable impact on the surrounding pharmacy network and its ability to deliver accessible health services, particularly if the GP-led health centre also contains a pharmacy. Such health centers could dislocate the existing accessible, community-based network of pharmaceutical care. On the other hand, a well designed hub and spoke model of provision, with neighborhood pharmacies providing a range of access-critical services could enhance healthcare.

"As for pharmacy provision within the health centers, high rents and lease premiums do not necessarily bring the most appropriate provider of services."

The NPA is asking PCTs to apply the following principles when planning their primary care estate:

1. Consider the potential for expanding community pharmacy based services to ensure continued or improved, access to services

2. Underpin public consultations with rounded information that explains the full potential impact on services and communities surrounding the health centre, including those not in the direct vicinity

3. Assess those bidding to develop new GP-led health centers with the following considerations relating to community pharmacy:

a. Whether the bidder can describe how the health centre services will integrate with the local community pharmacy network, making the most of neighborhood outlets to supply access-critical services

b. Whether the bidder can describe how any proposed pharmacy provision within a health centre links to the other services to be located there and aligns to the needs of patients accessing those other services.

c. Can the bidder can give assurances that any pharmacy provision within the health centre will be regarded as a 'health service' on equal terms with, for example, general practice, rather than viewed primarily as a third party income generator.

Among the core criteria set out by the Department of Health in procurement specifications is that all GP-led health centers should 'maximize opportunities to integrate and co-locate with other community based services'. The NPA is concerned that co-location should not be enacted except within the context of a truly integrated vision.

The NPA believes that developments in the health care estate must be carefully managed by PCTs to ensure that they draw out rather than squeeze, even irreparably diminish, community pharmacy's potential.

National Pharmacy Association