Never has the time been better for pharmacy to take on more responsibility to help relieve the pressure on the NHS! So why is it not happening
- We have no voice? Well actually we do have they are the public and more recently the research showing that the pharmacy led NMS service is saving money and saving re-admissions to hospital. This service could be expanded greatly to help to manage many conditions under strict protocols. We just do not know how to effectively communicate our worth. We do not have enough research carried out in community pharmacy.
- We are not ready to embrace the change and increase in responsibility? This is starts because we lack training in our undergraduate course and it is because the profession attracts risk adverse students and then does not help them to identify, manage, assess and mitigate against risk.
- We do not want to change? We do but we do not know how to and as a profession we have always been reactive rather than pro-active. Prescriptions walk in the door? Not as much as they used to any more they don’t and they may not in the future either, and if we do not change others will steal our patients and their prescriptions.
If your pharmacy is under threat due to the cuts and shrinking prescription numbers you need to consider your options and react now before it is too late or your pharmacy may be a statistic and it will also add to the increasing pressure on GP surgeries and A&E as patients will lose another free local walk in service.