EXCLUSIVE

Pharmacy leaders are ambivalent about how positive the past 12 months have been for the sector, according to a C+D straw poll.
 
They named funding constraints and an underwhelming pharmacy contract as the biggest frustrations of the past 12 months, and cited the success of pharmacy flu vaccinations and greater recognition for the profession as the biggest highlights.
 
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) CEO Harry McQuillan told C+D funding restrictions combined with an increased popularity of some services had led to a mixed year for the sector. “Overall, it’s been a neutral year. By no means a disaster and not setting the heather alight, either," he said.
 
For RPS president Ash Soni, 2014 was a “positive year for pharmacy” overall. While it was a “bit of a shame” the updated pharmacy contract did not align more closely with the general practice contract, there had been greater recognition for the profession than ever before from the public and decision-makers, he said. “More and more wherever you go, you hear pharmacy being mentioned.”

 
RPS Wales director Jocelyn Parkes said pharmacy in Wales had seen “far more achievements than disappointments” in 2014, with the “fantastic” uptake in pharmacy flu vaccinations a notable highlight. Earlier this month (December 4), Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW) told C+D the number of flu vaccinations in pharmacies in Wales had rocketed to around 10,000 by November.
 
But Nottingham LPC secretary Nick Hunter told C+D 2014 had been a “very challenging year”. The Call to Action consultation had been tipped as the "saving grace" of pharmacy, but he believed the profession had been "a bit delusional" to expect this. The result of the consultation was the Five Year Forward View, a vision document that only mentioned pharmacy four times. Pharmacists should accept the onus was on them to "move the profession forward", Mr Hunter said.
 
Hertfordshire contractor Graham Phillips told C+D 2014 had been “the year of missed opportunities” for pharmacy. The government’s decision not to cap pharmacy student numbers and a disappointing pharmacy contract had been particularly frustrating, although he admitted there was still “all to play for”.
 
C+D readers chose the decision not to cap student numbers as the biggest disappointment of the year, while the revelation that the new medicine service (NMS) would become a permanent part of the pharmacy contract was voted the biggest success.

 

Has 2014 been a good year for your pharmacy?

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