EXCLUSIVE

The Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) has called on C+D readers to help shape the future of Labour's health policy.

Readers should email the IPF with "concrete examples" of how they have improved patient outcomes, ahead of its meeting with shadow pharmacy minister Jamie Reed scheduled for October, IPF chief executive Claire Ward told C+D on Friday (June 27).

The meeting, which follows on from an initial discussion with shadow health secretary Andy Burnham last year, was an opportunity for community pharmacy to influence the party's policies ahead of the general election next year, she said.

Labour's health policy involves combining the government's budgets for health and social care and Ms Ward said the meeting would focus on how pharmacy could contribute to this concept of ‘whole person care'.

The IPF had initially planned to meet with Mr Burnham but Mr Reed would instead feed back to the shadow health secretary if he was unable to attend the discussion, she said.

Although the meeting had been pushed back until after Labour's party conference in September - its last before the general election - Ms Ward still hoped the discussion would have an impact on Labour's manifesto.

Ms Ward said she was "more than happy" to meet with other politicians and would send the results of the discussions to other political parties to try to convince them to give community pharmacy a greater role in primary healthcare.

"I'd like to take forward real examples of where pharmacists are making a difference. All the political parties are refining their polices in the run up to the election and this will be an opportunity for pharmacy to input into that process," she told C+D.

Mr Reed told C+D yesterday (June 30) that all the discussions he took part in with health organisations contributed towards Labour's manifesto "in some way".

In his meeting with pharmacy representatives last year, Mr Burnham challenged the sector to devise new models of care. Pharmacy groups responded to the challenge with calls for a national minor ailments scheme and an increase in screening services and health checks.

Under Mr Burnham's proposals, separate budgets for health and social care would be combined to pay for a single service focused on preventative care. The Health and Social Care Act would be repealed but health and wellbeing boards would be retained.

Readers can email examples of how their work has directly improved patient outcomes to [email protected].

	What would you like to see Labour include in its health policy?