A federation of 30 London pharmacies has urged the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to "seriously think" about the consequences of its drive for more pharmacists to be employed in GP surgeries 

The directors of Newfed Healthcare - a group of pharmacies in Newham, London formed in September last year - expressed fears that the plans devised with the Royal College of General Practitioners could lead to loss of business for community pharmacies and, ultimately, closures.

This would decrease access to healthcare services and could prompt an increase in A&E attendances, Newfed Healthcare warned in a letter sent to the RPS on March 24. But the RPS said there was no evidence to suggest the plans would impact on community pharmacy businesses.

Newfed Healthcare suggested that community pharmacies should be utilised more effectively to promote collaboration with GPs. Integrated IT systems, for example, would enable pharmacists to input into prescribing decisions from a community setting, and clinical pharmacy networks could also promote joint working.

Newfed Healthcare also questioned how practice pharmacists would be funded at a time when the NHS is looking to make efficiency savings.

Newfed Healthcare director Jignesh Patel, owner of Rohpharm Pharmacy in Plaistow, told C+D the group was concerned that plans to locate pharmacists in GP practices would mean the profession would not be “fully independent”.

But he was not optimistic that the RPS would act on the concerns. “They are pressing forward with what they have started - I haven’t had any response or acknowledgement,” Mr Patel said.

RPS response

RPS English board chair David Branford told C+D yesterday (April 8) that better community pharmacist - GP collaboration and practice pharmacists "need not be mutually exclusive". 

“We know of no evidence that where pharmacists are employed by GP surgeries there have been closures of local community pharmacies,” Mr Branford said. “Having a pharmacist based in the surgery should enable closer relationships between the GPs and community pharmacists.”

“I want to see new roles develop for pharmacists alongside a robust community pharmacy sector,” he said, adding that there was "more than enough work for everyone". 

Last month, the RPS and Royal College of General Practitioners responded to the sector’s concerns about plans to employ pharmacists in GP practices, promising that pharmacists would remain “autonomous”. 

Read Newfed Healthcare's letter and the RPS response in full here. 

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