The government should streamline its "unwieldy" commissioning system and make it easier for pharmacists to secure local contracts, PSNC has told NHS England.

The bureaucracy involved in tendering for local contracts was a "major barrier" to pharmacists providing services to patients, PSNC said in its reponse to the Call to Action consultation, which closed on Tuesday (March 18). PSNC "regularly" saw complex contracts and tendering processes used by local commissioners, the contract negotiator said, even though they were often of "limited financial value".

PSNC also used its response to call for NHS England to grant pharmacists full access to patient care records, align the pharmacy contract with other healthcare professions and develop the new medicine and medicines use review services.

One of the barriers preventing patients using pharmacy services more widely was the lack of consistency between services commissioned around the country, PSNC told the consultation. It suggested NHS England commission a "consistent core of services" nationally, beginning with minor ailments and flu vaccination services. The negotiating body said it was "keen" to work with NHS England to review the standard NHS contract to see how it could increase the chances of innovative local services getting commissioned.

Pharmacists must continue to deliver services to "as high a standard as possible" ahead of the publication of NHS England's primary care strategy, said PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe	More on Call to Action Invest in pharmacists' prescribing skills, RPS tells government Demand records access and national commissioning, industry leaders urge Use Call to Action to rationalise pharmacy numbers, urges NHS chief
	A "continuous" series of campaigns promoting community pharmacy was needed to change the public's attitude towards the sector, it added. NHS England's "the earlier, the better" campaign to promote pharmacy as a source of self-care advice had helped to raise public awareness but more campaigns of this type were required, PSNC said.

Revealing its consultation response, PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe said pharmacists must continue to deliver services to "as high a standard as possible" ahead of the publication of NHS England's primary care strategy in autumn, which will be informed by the Call to Action responses.

"LPCs and others representing pharmacies will also consider how the relationships they have strengthened with local stakeholders through the Call to Action work can be used in discussions on services. PSNC will be helping them to do this in the coming months," she said.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society told C+D on Tuesday (March 18) that it had used its own consultation response to call for all pharmacists to become independent prescribers.

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