By Alexander Humphries*

I didn’t think the last month or so could get any worse – but then music legend David Bowie died. So here’s my view on the state of pharmacy and also a small tribute to my hero...

Events of the last two months have started to bring out some of the best in pharmacy, believe it or not, so I want to salute two Heroes who have caught my eye. The first is Calum ‘The Facebook Pharmacist’ Plenderleith. So incensed was he about the lunacy of Government plans to cut pharmacy funding that he poured out his heart in a Facebook post that has been ‘liked’ by nearly 120,000 people and shared by more than 55,000.

There was nothing particularly revolutionary in what he said, but it clearly touched a nerve with the public, so much so that he is probably responsible for more than threequarters of signatures on the parliamentary petition, which now stands at over 40,000.

My second individual hero is NPA chairman, Ian Strachan, whom I heard speak on a webinar (my first) earlier in the month. Clearly a man of the people, Ian spoke with an obvious passion about the importance of pharmacy.

Under pressure

I was hoping that the workload would slacken off a bit in January to allow me to get over the cold I’ve had since October but, if anything, I’m running even faster than I was before Christmas. And we all know that things are only going to get worse from here on in.

If I ever came across Simon Stevens (aka The Man Who Sold the World, or at least sold pharmacy down the river), I’d like to invite him to see what actually goes on in a pharmacy. Perhaps I could convince him that This Is Not America (despite his attempts to turn the NHS into a second-rate version of the third-rate US primary care system).

Community pharmacy is not against Changes, but there is a line in that song which really sums things up: ”Where’s your shame? You’ve left us up to our necks in it.”

On another planet?

Most people reading this (apart from questioning my sanity) are probably wondering what they have to do to be considered part of primary care. Apart, that is, from seeing more patients than anyone else every day, solving problem after problem, and driving the costs of medicines down and down.

They might wonder Is There Life On Mars? Why? Because this Government certainly seems to be from another planet. As far as I‘m concerned, the rest of the NHS should be more like community pharmacy, not the other way around.

Think about the things that we could do if we were free of the feckless leadership within NHS England. A common ailments service saving millions of GP appointments, a national emergency supply service saving unnecessary A&E, out-of-hours and GP contacts, control of the repeat prescribing system – and that is just the things we could do tomorrow. With a proper plan we could deal with hypertension, falls, and so much more.

The wasted opportunities leave me in Sorrow, but it seems we are currently out of Fashion. I predict it won’t be too long before the NHS Five Year Forward View has gone from Ashes to Ashes – and then community pharmacy will be undeniable. There won’t be enough GPs to do all the work and surgery pharmacists will probably be long gone.

Terrible track record

Still with me? Is technology the answer? Consultations in full Sound and Vision might be technically possible, but is it what the public want? Sure, there is a place for technology, but we all know what a terrible track record the NHS has delivering ‘enhancements’ like EPS. Maybe they can rub the magic lamp and summon up The Jean Genie to make it work. Or maybe we’ll be left picking up the pieces again.

Focused

It is absolutely clear to me that our Golden Years are ahead of us. Nowhere in the healthcare landscape is anyone as focused on what the patient wants, or as efficient in giving it to them.

I’d like to see a senior community pharmacist appointed somewhere within the leadership of the Department of Health (on a three-year term so that their practice has to be relevant and recent) and given free rein to champion pharmacy. What we need in the Department is someone who knows what we are capable of, rather than being told ‘no’ by people who have never seen the inside of life in a pharmacy, and who probably can’t even remember the last time they saw a patient.

Thanks for bearing with me to the end – you are all Starmen and Starwomen!

 Nowhere in the healthcare landscape is anyone as focused on what the patient wants as pharmacy