“Right now, GPs cannot see live national shortages when they are prescribing,” said Dr Zubir Ahmed, minister for health innovation and safety, who was speaking at a packed NPA reception at the House of Lords on February 10 hosted by Baroness Margaret Downpatrick.
“This year we’re going to make it possible for GPs to be aware of these shortages in real time,” he said.
“This will mean patients no longer have to go from pillar to post, from pharmacy to pharmacy, for medicines that are simply not available, because GPs will be able to prescribe a similar antibiotic if one is out of stock.
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“And that should be good for community pharmacists who too often are on the receiving end of that frustration and, I’m sorry to say, abuse, when those medicines aren’t available.
“I know pharmacy teams feel especially vulnerable on the high street. You do not deserve it, under any circumstances, not least if that abuse is racist, misogynistic, and of course, increasingly, anti-muslim.
“Pharmacy professionals should never have anything to fear when they are going to work. I want to express my solidarity with all community pharmacists who serve on the front line. You served our county throughout the pandemic, we could not have got through it without you. I’ve got your back, Stephen Kinnock has your back.”
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On the potential for the sector, he said “in addition to providing high quality clinical care, you are pillars of our community.
“Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are highly trained skilled professionals. You see so many patients, some 1.6m every day, and for so long your potential has been underutilised and neglected. But this government knows how essential you are.”
Pharmacies are a “massive untapped resource, not just in cancer,” he continued.
“We have bolder ambitions, we want to go much further. Take the results of the IP pathfinder programme, 200 sites delivering 35k consultations with around 60% resulting in a prescribing decision, and 97% completed without the need to refer to a GP.
“It shows immense promise, and it’s doing it in real time. And we will focus on developing new prescribing pathways and putting what we have learned into something we can roll out nationwide.
“I feel the frustration that technology is not there to support your decision making. It’s holding you back and it’s unacceptable.”
Dreams
NPA chair Olivier Picard thanked the minister, saying “I know you work hard inside government talking to people who simply don’t get pharmacy. Too many of them think it’s where you buy paracetamol or a box of plasters. Thank you for being a brilliant advocate.”
He also paid tribute to Sadik Al Hassan MP, also the APPG chair, who Picard said was the “pharmacist MP we have dreamed about for decades.”
Al Hassan also gave a warm speech, concluding: “Close the funding gap, support the workforce, and understand community pharmacy must be at the heart of any primary care reform.”
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Wrapping up the speeches, Picard said “people need to understand the realities. We are the front line of the NHS, we are on the high streets, in shopping parades and villages, we service millions every day. We improve health, we prevent illnesses, and we keep the system moving.
“It’s a struggle, it’s tough. I sometimes get very passionate about the debate, but passion doesn’t necessarily mean anger.
“It comes from a belief in the value of what we do, and what we bring, every single day. We all agree on the destination and that is care that is closer to where people live, that is more convenient, that offers more choice. That’s why we went into community pharmacy in the first place, the clue is in the name.”
Baroness Margaret Downpatrick hosted and introduced the event, saying pharmacists are the “first and fastest point of contact for patients and essential for neighbourhood health resilience. Cross party support for pharmacy benefits patients, and the wider health system.”
