DAUK’s Dr Steve Taylor has called for a ‘joined-up approach to community care’ after the announcement of an extra £617m for local pharmacies.
Dr Taylor, GP spokesperson for the Doctors’ Association UK, welcomed the additional funding after ‘years of underfunding of community services’.
He said there needed to be a cost-benefit analysis of primary and community care to establish what works best for patients.
Funding welcomed
Dr Taylor said: “We welcome funding for community pharmacies which, like GP practices and other community services, have been underfunded for years.
“GP practices have been working with community pharmacies to support patient care for decades.
“The extra funding is entirely necessary.
“However, it is unlikely to save GP time as promised by NHS England and DHSE.
Joined-up approach
“A more joined-up approach to care in the community is needed, with genuine cost-benefit analysis and assessment of what is best for patients.”
Dr Taylor was speaking after the Government announced the deal with Community Pharmacy England.
The Government said it was also writing off £193m of debt for community pharmacy owners to give them confidence going into the new financial year on 1 April.
It said the investment comes alongside reforms which aim to deliver patient benefits, as part of the Government’s agenda to shift the focus of care from hospitals into the community.
Improve patient access
The Government said the greater range of services will improve access for patients, free up GP time, and cut waiting lists by avoiding the need for people to book in to see their GP.
This includes:
- Making the morning-after pill available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS, ending the postcode lottery women face in accessing the medicine and reducing inequalities.
- Offering patients suffering depression convenient support at pharmacies when they are prescribed antidepressants, to boost mental health support in the community.
- Cutting red tape and bureaucracy to give patients easier access to consultations, with more of the pharmacy team able to deliver a wider number of services such as medicines and prescriptions advice, Pharmacy First services, and carrying out blood pressure checks.
- Boosting financial incentives for pharmacists to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure and take pressure off GPs.
- Boosting funding for medicine supply so patients have better access to the medicines prescribed for them. This includes writing off the historic debt linked to dispensing activity during the pandemic and increasing fees linked to dispensing prescriptions.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our Plan for Change.
“We’re working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect that has left the sector on the brink of collapse.
Community care
“This package of record investment and reform is a vital first step to getting community pharmacies back on their feet and fit for the future.
“The agreement shows how this government is working in partnership with community pharmacy to deliver more care for patients closer to their home, freeing up GP appointments, and catching ill-health earlier and preventing it in the first place.”
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