Key Summary
- RPS Wales urged greater recognition of pharmacists’ role in patient care
- Called for funding, career support, and better NHS integration
- Aims to shape future Welsh health policy
The Senedd inquiry focusing on the future of general practice is now backed by the oral evidence provided by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Wales.
The Society’s evidence will help inform the committee’s final recommendations to the Welsh Government.
Popular Welsh Pharmacy Board members Helen Davies and Liz Hallett represented RPS Wales in the procedure.
Both Davies and Hallett stressed on the need of accessibility to the apt healthcare professionals as well as pharmacists being the best placed to provide expert medicines care.
The joint session provided a platform for the RPS representatives and their Community Pharmacy colleagues to highlight a pharmacists’ inevitable role in various circumstances.
According to them, pharmacists play a key role in ensuring improved medicines safety and reducing prescribing errors.
Their skills helps in managing polypharmacy for complex patients and those with multiple chronic conditions.
They are also pivotal in providing long-term condition management as well as in leading medicines optimisation to ensure treatments are effective and cost-efficient.
Along with this, they are also capable of safely deprescribing medications to prevent harm, side effects, and medicine wastage.
However, the representatives also presented necessary steps to be taken by the authorities to bring the pharmacists’ skills to their full potential.
They suggested consistent and sustainable funding with clear support for roles and career development, with strategic workforce planning to address workload pressures and reduce burnout across all sectors of pharmacy.
They emphasised on the importance of investing in pharmacy technicians, digital tools, and suitable consultation space so pharmacists can work at the top of their licence.
Also, stronger integration of pharmacists into NHS service planning along with the implementation of effective ways of raising public and professional awareness of pharmacists’ role within the multidisciplinary team were advised as well.
“Pharmacists are already making a real difference in general practice. However, their skills are still not always fully recognized,” said Liz Hallett.
“If we want safe, sustainable care for patients, we need investment in pharmacists at every stage of their career and the right infrastructure around them.”
She added, “Along with the committee’s inquiry, the forthcoming Welsh Government-commissioned review led by RPS is a unique opportunity to make sure future policy reflects this.”
“We hope the committee will recognise our calls and reflect them in its final recommendations,” commented Helen Davies.
