Pharmacists say they lack support needed for services

Less than a quarter of pharmacists feel they have enough support to deliver the services they would like to, and only 13 per cent feel their local LPCs will be able to get such services commissioned in the future, a C+D Senate survey has found.

Over two-fifths, 42 per cent, of pharmacists said they did not have enough support for service delivery, while 24 per cent said they would like more to boost their confidence and 9 per cent reported having "hardly any support at all".

And respondents to the survey, which was conducted prior to the C+D Senate on June 2, were critical of LPCs, with 43 per cent worried they would not get many services agreed in the new NHS and 44 per cent not sure.

C+D Senator and Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott said: "There are some good examples [of LPCs], but I think their future is about generally being a bit more strategic." Some LPCs were also "clearly too small" to do all the things they might be required to in the new NHS, he added.

One London pharmacist concerned about their local LPC told C+D: "They never have meetings or let us know what has happened with the PCT."

While it was not clear whether pharmacists lacking confidence to deliver services were short of time or aptitude, it was "clear that pharmacists do need help and support in getting to grips with the wider service agenda," said Numark managing director John D'Arcy.

There was ongoing work to help pharmacists implement services at the Co-operative Pharmacy, according to NHS standards manager Ifti Khan. "The
Co-operative Pharmacy is planning to apply the learnings from MUR training [via its MUR Resource Centre] when the new medicine service is launched later this year in England," he said.

And Lloydspharmacy said: "We work closely with [pharmacists] on the introduction of new services to ensure that they have the required level of training and knowledge to deliver them effectively."

Full coverage of the C+D Senate