PCTS Must Engage More With Pharmacies, UK

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 12 Dec 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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Responding to the Healthcare Commission Report, State of Healthcare 2007 - Improvements and challenges in services in England and Wales, Chairman of the English Pharmacy Board, Paul Bennett, said:

"I am encouraged that this report highlights the areas of opportunity for pharmacists to provide the improved health services the public are looking for in PCTs.

"Pharmacists build effective relationships with their patients, customers and local communities. They provide personalised and tailored care such as supplying over-the-counter medicines and managing patients with long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and coronary heart disease. Pharmacists also provide public health services such as stopping smoking, minor ailments schemes and sexual health. From their broad contact with patients and customers pharmacists have a substantial knowledge about the health needs of the local population in their area. As such, pharmacists are ideally placed to bridge the gaps identified in this report and play a leading role in practice based commissioning (PBC).

"This is hard evidence that in order to make a success of PBC and deliver the best possible health care to local communities PCTs must engage with pharmacies more actively."

Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain