Primary care organisation NHS Alliance has called for an independent review on the medicines supply chain to help the government get "into gear" in tackling stock shortages.

Shortages were causing "great hardship" for GPs as well as pharmacists as it was "extremely frustrating" to waste time finding alternative sources for a medicine, NHS Alliance chair and GP Michael Dixon told C+D on Wednesday (March 19). But the government had an "insufficient sense" of how serious the problem was, he said.

An independent review could make recommendations to ensure the robustness of the supply chain and ensure the government "got into gear" to deal with shortages, Dr Dixon said.

"It's causing an extra aggravation for GPs. This problem has been ingrained [for] years now and it's not getting any better," he said.

The problem of stock shortages "has been ingrained for years and it's not getting any better", says NHS Alliance chair and GP Michael Dixon	More on stock shortages PMR codes for stock shortages to be cut Wholesalers and pharmacists unite to improve medicines supply C+D calls for urgent action to fix problems in supply chain
	In November, C+D called for the government to take urgent action to resolve problems in the medicines supply chain, following a 12-month investigation that revealed pharmacists believe three quarters of cases of stock shortages result in patient harm.

Dr Dixon said shortages could also impact on patient health if a GP was taken away from their other duties to source a medicine that could not easily be substituted.

"Recently I had a patient who couldn't get hold of one of the few blood pressure tablets they didn't react to. The only means [by which] I managed to continue with that patient was to go 23 miles away to a [pharmacist] that had stock," he said.

Mr Dixon said he believed the "combined voice of GPs and pharmacists" in the NHS Alliance could be "very strong" and put pressure on the government to improve the supply chain.

"It's a bad system that isn't insulating professionals and patients from shortages that don't need to occur," he added.

In February, the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers announced plans to remove an "extra hurdle" for pharmacists by drastically cutting the number of codes they have to deal with when a medicine is unavailable.

Pharmacy minister Ear Howe said in November he would consider C+D's findings "carefully", but C+D is still awaiting a full response.

	What is your current experience of stock shortages?   We want to hear your views, but please express them in the spirit of a constructive, professional debate. For more information about what this means, please click here to see our community principles and information