A new NHS England tool that collects local medicines data could encourage commissioners to fund more pharmacy services, industry leaders have said.

The medicines optimisation dashboard compiles data – including the new medicine service (NMS) and MUR rates in pharmacies, as well as statistics on the electronic prescription service (EPS) – into a spreadsheet to encourage commissioners to better support patients with their medicines.

The prototype dashboard, which launched last week (June 12), was a "significant step forwards" and would highlight to commissioners how pharmacies could help them meet targets for patient outcomes, Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) chair Fin McCaul told C+D yesterday (June 16).

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	Mr McCaul said the dashboard, which collects data from NHS trusts, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and NHS England's area teams, was "very interesting" and would help pharmacists and commissioners keep track of, and improve, their medicines services for patients.

"It's a really good starting point to help CCGs and area teams have a new perspective on medicines and [let them know] community pharmacy can help work towards outcomes," he added.

NPA chief executive Mike Holden said the spreadsheet, which can be downloaded from NHS England's website, showed that the commissioning body was shifting its emphasis "from cost to value". The new tool should encourage CCGs to think of pharmacy as part of the primary care team, he told C+D.

"The dashboard could identify the space for enhancements to pharmaceutical care locally. It would be good to see [it] translate into more commissioned services in pharmacies," he said.

NHS England said it created the tool, which also includes data on hospital admissions and repeat prescribing, in response to the "significant issue" of medicines waste nationally. The dashboard was designed to encourage CCGs and trusts to "think more about how well their patients are supported to use medicines and less about the cost and volume of drugs", it said.

RPS English pharmacy board member Elizabeth Butterfield said the data could be of use to "all health professionals, whether they prescribe, dispense or administer medicines". 

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