Pharmacy bodies have reacted to the King’s speech to Parliament, which yesterday confirmed government plans to abolish NHS England (NHSE) and begin rolling out a Single Patient Record (SPR) by 2028.
In the speech on May 13, King Charles III said ministers “will push forward with significant reforms” to the NHS through the introduction of the NHS Modernisation Bill.
Briefing notes on the proposed legislation said the bill will “enhance patient safety and experience through a new Single Patient Record” that brings patients’ health and social care records “into one place”.
Read more: DH: Creating single patient record expected to take several years
People will be able “to see their own health records securely on the NHS App”, and the SPR will apply to those receiving maternity and frailty care “by 2028” before a “wider rollout”.
The bill will also see the government abolish NHSE and transfer its functions “into the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) or the wider system”, the document said.
Prime minister Keir Starmer first announced plans to abolish NHSE in March last year.
“Include pharmacists”
RCPharm director for England Amandeep Doll said that with “pharmacists providing ever more clinical services, managing long-term conditions, optimising medicines and preventing harm”, it is “essential they are included” in access to the new SPR “from the outset”.
“Too often, pharmacists must make decisions without full sight of a patient’s medical history, recent hospital admissions or changes to treatment, which creates avoidable risks”, she added.
“Having read-write access to a single patient record is critical to safer, better-informed clinical decisions which will improve care for patients.”
Pharmacies “overlooked”
Meanwhile, IPA chief executive Dr Leyla Hanbeck said the King’s speech “provided a real opportunity for the government to deliver meaningful support for community pharmacies” - but that “once again, the sector has been overlooked”.
Hannbeck stressed that ministers “could have acted to ease the pressure from rising National Insurance costs” or ensure that pharmacies “receive the same business rates relief as GP surgeries and dentists”.
Read more: ‘A lot of work’ needed on 10-year plan pharmacy role, NHSE admits
“They also had the opportunity to reform a broken funding mechanism that regularly leaves pharmacies dispensing medicines at a loss,” she added.
“At a time when pharmacies are under enormous financial strain and with a war affecting global supply chains, the lack of meaningful support for the sector is deeply disappointing”.
Read more: IN FULL: Starmer reveals plans to abolish NHSE
It comes after the DH said in January that the creation of an SPR was “expected to take several years”, adding that the government’s previous ambition for patients to be using the system “from 2028” may have been “overly optimistic”.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting has today resigned from his role as health secretary, potentially triggering a leadership election in the Labour party and a reshuffle in the DH.
