Parliamentarians from the All-Party Pharmacy Group, which the NPA co-sponsors, have launched an inquiry into the future of the pharmacy sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pharmacy sector and wider healthcare stakeholders are being encouraged to share their views to inform the development of a manifesto which aims to unlock the potential of pharmacy and further improve patient outcomes.
The APPG will hold a number of focused evidence sessions on the subjects of the terms of reference and responses will be used to create a manifesto on a vision for the future of community pharmacy. Views are sought on topics including, but not limited to:
- Making the most of pharmacy in the delivery of primary care
- What more community pharmacy can do to support the prevention agenda, as outlined in the NHS long term plan, enabling people to stay healthy in their communities.
- How pharmacy can be used to support patients with the management of their long-term conditions
- How pharmacy can be better integrated into NHS care pathways and the role of newer services such as Community Pharmacist Consultation Services (CPCS) and Discharge Medicines Service (DMS)
- The role of the pharmacy workforce including recruitment, retention, and professional development of the pharmacy profession, including greater use of independent prescribers
- Examples of pharmacy best practice across the four nations and any lessons to be learnt
- Future clinical services that could be provided in community pharmacy settings, such as an increased range of vaccinations
- The role of pharmacy in patient safety
The call for written evidence launches on 13 September 2021 and the APPG will be accepting written evidence via [email protected] until 1st November 2021.
Chair of the All-Party Pharmacy Group Jackie Doyle-Price MP has said: “We know that pharmacy teams are incredibly valuable to both the communities they serve and the wider NHS, and this has been made all the more obvious by the way they have responded to the pandemic.
"Pharmacy has proven itself an integral part of the NHS family and has shown how much more it could do if given the right support. As we look beyond COVID-19, we are seeking views on what the future of pharmacy looks like and how pharmacy could be better integrated to the wider NHS.”