Three pharmacy bodies in Scotland have come together to produce a joint statement urging that improved use of the profession should be among the recommendations of the National Primary Care Out of Hours Review, launched by the Scottish Government earlier this year.

Community Pharmacy Scotland, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland and the Directors of Pharmacy (senior pharmacy leaders for NHS Boards) calls for:

• Greater involvement of pharmacists in managing common minor illnesses by utilising PGDs and potentially pharmacist prescribers
• National promotion of the Minor Ailment Service
• Universal community pharmacy access to the emergency care summary
• Exploring pharmacy input into out-of-hours teams.

Alex MacKinnon, director for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland, said: “It was important that the pharmacy profession provided a joined-up, collective response, with a set of proposals that build on and further enhance the role that pharmacists play in the care of patients and the public."