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Record learning outcomes

Numark managing director John D'Arcy casts his eye over recent developments and finds some aspects rather worrying.

It is disappointing that the funding settlement for England for 2015/16 is at the same level as last year when we dealt with a 3.3 per cent increase in prescription items.

This may not sound enormous but represents 34.5m items and a massive 55 per cent increase over the past decade. It is clear that pharmacy is now operating in a climate of €more for less€ and the settlement represents a pay cut when measured against these figures, as well as the underlying rate of inflation.

Pharmacy contractors will struggle to absorb the increase in costs associated with the ever increasing demands of running their businesses. Staff costs are a particular burden and with the announcement in the Budget of the introduction of a Living Wage, these will only increase further.

Good news

It is, however, good news to see the introduction of a national flu service, and we welcome the additional funding that goes with this. However it is disappointing and surprising not to have seen the introduction of a minor ailments service.

At a time when GP surgeries are under considerable pressure, it should be a priority to offer patients an accessible and community-based service. We would expect this to be top of the agenda in the 2016/17 discussions.

It is clear that pharmacy is now operating in a climate of €more for less€

EPS review

We also welcome the establishment of a joint working group to review the costs and system issues associated with the Electronic Prescription Service. EPS has involved contractors in time-consuming and costly investments in modifying processes within their pharmacies, understanding new ways of working, and dealing with system glitches and breakdowns associated with the networking of GP and pharmacy systems and their interrelationship with the spine.

There is more potentially good news in that £15m funding has been agreed to create an opportunity for 300 pharmacists to work alongside GPs as practice-based pharmacists.

While this clearly creates new jobs and roles at a time when unemployment in pharmacy is a reality, it also raises many questions about the role of these pharmacists and how they will work in collaboration with local community pharmacists.

These roles can only be successful if there is a transparent tri-partite arrangement between GP, community and practice-based pharmacist. Clarity over who does what and how this will work is needed. Ultimately, patients must benefit from this arrangement.

Exemption police?

We recognise a civic duty to ensure the best use of limited resources and to eliminate fraud but we do have a concern about the requirement for pharmacists to point out to patients claiming prescription exemption without supporting proof that the NHS may take action in respect of inappropriate claims.

Portraying pharmacists as 'exemption police' rather than health professionals could serve to undermine the relationship pharmacists have with their patients.