EXCLUSIVE

Pharmacists need to have more in-depth conversations with patients about the effectiveness of their medicines, NHS England’s deputy chief pharmaceutical officer has told C+D.

Commenting on the launch of a campaign last month (May 13) by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) to tackle unnecessary prescribing, Bruce Warner said it was important that pharmacists “truly engaged with patients to understand their needs better”.

Pharmacists needed to “look at the patient holistically and maximise the benefits from the medicines t hey take”, Mr Warner told C+D in an exclusive interview last month (May 20). “We are not having those conversations in the sort of depth we need to be,” he stressed.

“Medicines optimisation isn’t all about new medicines, it is about stopping the ones we don’t get benefit from. I think pharmacists are very well placed to do that, particularly in the management of long-term conditions,” Mr Warner said.

The AoMRC’s Choose Wisely initiative was designed to encourage doctors and patients to pick the correct treatment based on clinical evidence. The Academy told C+D that it would liaise with pharmacy groups to gather their “invaluable input” and Mr Warner agreed “there is a role for pharmacists”.

Pharmacists were “well placed” to evaluate data and “advise on the relative merits of different medicines”, he added.

The Choose Wisely initiative - which originated in the US and Canada - also received backing from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) last month. RPS science adviser Jayne Lawrence told C+D at the time that the society “strongly supported” the campaign because “unproven therapies” were used by patients "every day".
 

How often do you discuss the effectiveness of medicines with patients? 

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