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Graham Phillips, owner of Manor Pharmacy Group (Wheathampstead) Ltd, expressed concerns over the domination of the suggested primary care practices. "You've got to be a little bit careful that you don't end up with some monolith that flattens the entire primary care network," he told C+D.
"Over-concentrating" pharmacists in larger practices could mean the sector would lose its "widely disseminated public health network", Mr Phillips added.
Community pharmacist Stephen Eggleston voiced worries that pharmacists would lose out to GPs in the proposed commissioning environment.
"The idea is not without merit, but I do not see how pharmacy will manage to do much more than lose the argument if we [don't] have a seat on the CCGs or health and wellbeing boards," he said on the C+D website.
Anti-pharmacy attitudes
Pharmacists argued that NHS England's primary care strategy, due to come out before the end of autumn, should aim to address these issues. Essex LPC chief executive Ash Pandya said it must shift the "instincts" of GP commissioners to shy away from giving local services to community pharmacy.
"The problem we have in pharmacy is, the minute we ask for money, the GPs' first reaction is: why should we pay you when we could do it ourselves?" he told C+D.
Ravi Sharma, primary care pharmacist at healthcare provider DMC Healthcare, agreed that NHS England should also use the strategy to convince the remaining "anti-pharmacist" GPs and commissioners of the sector's value.
"It needs to come from up top; we can keep pushing locally, but it will take us forever to get [the message] out. [There are] no GPs, no nurses – you've got ample amounts of pharmacists, let's use them," he told C+D.
But Mr Sharma added that working in GP practices could give pharmacists a much more clinical role. It would be much easier for them to share the results of their work such as MURs, and would bring them closer to patients, he said.
"At the moment, with the lack of access to healthcare records, it's difficult for community pharmacists, even if you're 100 yards from a GP practice, to really do themselves justice. It opens the door for pharmacists to do stuff like asthma reviews and spirometry," he said.
Breaking barriers
Independent Pharmacy Federation chief executive Claire Ward also highlighted the potential of the strategy to bring together GP and community pharmacy contracts and stop the current trend of working "in silo".
She also called for more national commissioning and "standardisation" of community pharmacy services. "That means wherever you go to access your pharmacy you're going to be able to access flu services, emergency hormonal contraception or a minor ailments service," she said.
Pharmacy Voice also stressed that pharmacy should become a "go-to" provider for long-term conditions.
PSNC sounded hopeful this could become a reality in its response to the five-year plan. The strategy presented a "number of opportunities for service development", it said, and showed recognition for the sector's role in minor ailments, which the negotiator had "continually championed" as a national service.
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