Pegasus post

Fighting over frontline services?

Posted by Stuart in Health news No comments»

The Times reports today on the growing role of the UK pharmacist – but with anticipated cuts to pharmacy services reported widely across this weeks pharmacy press, will pharmacists continue to receive the resources they need to develop their role at the forefront of patient care?

Many reasons are cited for developing the role of the pharmacist with the provision of enhanced services.  Pharmacists have the capacity to see more people in a day than GPs, they are well positioned to review treatments and where GPs are likely to see the ill, pharmacists often see the well, as such, they are well equipped to prevent illness as well as to treat it.

Reports suggest that Minor Ailment Schemes (MAS) will be one of the biggest victims of PCT cost cutting with many already being renegotiated or decommissioned.  The schemes, developed to enhance accessibility to service provision and ease workload of general practice and A&E departments, allow patients to present to community pharmacists for advice and medicines for an agreed range of minor conditions, such as hayfever, coughs, colds and head lice.

Ironically, one of the major rationales for the implementation of MAS’s is to reduce long-term health spending.  Whilst there are conflicting reports on their take-up and success, it remains to be seen whether these cuts are short-sighted cost saving strategies at the expense of long-term financial gain or a reflection of the success of schemes to date.

by Sallyanne