New goals to “transform pharmacy services” in Wales over the next three years have been launched today, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced.
It said the goals are part of “Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales” (PDaHW), the long-term vision for how pharmacy teams will improve patient care by 2030.
Read more: RPS appoints new director for Wales
The targets for 2025 to 2028 were “shaped through engagement with more than 500 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, support staff, students, patient representatives and healthcare partners”, the RPS said.
“They focus on spreading and scaling services to ensure equitable access to care, wherever people live and however they access them,” it added.
The RPS said that pharmacy teams in Wales “have made remarkable progress” since the long-term vision was first published in 2019, with patients now benefiting from “more clinical services closer to home, while the rollout of electronic prescribing is underway across all settings”.
Read more: RPS to scrap chief officer roles ahead of Royal College transition
The priorities for the pharmacy sector over the next three years include “embedding prevention and wellbeing, delivering electronic prescribing across Wales and transforming aseptic services”, starting with the development of a new radiopharmacy facility in South East Wales, the RPS said.
It added that other ambitions include “increasing patient access to pharmacist independent prescribers, expanding the skill mix of pharmacy teams and creating innovative career pathways that support multi-disciplinary care”.
Read more: CPW demands ‘equal’ pay for community and GP pharmacists
RPS director for Wales Elen Jones said the three-year goals “take us closer to our 2030 vision, while recognising the pressures the workforce continues to face” - and that she is “confident we are on track”.
“Progress has only been possible through the collective efforts of pharmacy teams and our partners,” she added.
“The PDaHW programme delivery board, supported by four themed subgroups, has driven momentum and kept goals in sharp focus.”
Read more: Wales sore throat and UTI service expansion backed by £6m funding
It comes just a day after the RPS announced that it has appointed a new director for Wales.
Dr Geraldine McCaffrey, the current chair of the RPS National Pharmacy Board for Wales and a member of the RPS Assembly, will commence her new role on December 1, the RPS said.
