MPs launch inquiry into future of pharmacy

Parliamentarians from the All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG) have launched an inquiry into the future of the pharmacy sector in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are seeking views from pharmacy professionals as well as stakeholders from the wider healthcare industry to inform the development of a manifesto which aims to unlock the potential of pharmacy and further improve patient outcomes.

The call for written evidence launched today (September 13) and closes at 5pm on November 1.

The APPG is seeking views on a range of relevant topics, including, but not limited to:

1. Making the most of pharmacy in the delivery of primary care
2. What more community pharmacy can do to support the prevention agenda, as outlined in the NHS long term plan,  enabling people to stay healthy in their communities
3. How pharmacy can be used to support patients with the management of their long-term conditions
4. How pharmacy can be better integrated into NHS care pathways and the role of newer services such as Community Pharmacist Consultation Services (CPCS) and Discharge Medicines Service (DMS)
5. The role of the pharmacy workforce including recruitment, retention, and professional development of the pharmacy profession, including greater use of independent prescribers
6. Examples of pharmacy best practice across the four nations and any lessons to be learnt
7. Future clinical services that could be provided in community pharmacy settings, such as an increased range of vaccinations
8. The role of pharmacy in patient safety

The APPG says it will hold a number of focused oral evidence sessions on the subjects of the terms of reference and responses will be used to create a manifesto on a vision for the future of community pharmacy.

Chair of the group, Jackie Doyle-Price, said: “We know that pharmacy teams are incredibly valuable to both the communities they serve and the wider NHS, and this has been made all the more obvious by the way they have responded to the pandemic.

"Pharmacy has proven itself an integral part of the NHS family and has shown how much more it could do if given the right support. As we look beyond Covid-19, we are seeking views on what the future of pharmacy looks like and how pharmacy could be better integrated with the wider NHS.”