Pharmacist prescribing - a reality in the year 2000?

H. Remington, MPharm, MRPharmS
Hospital Pharmacist Vol 7 No 4 p107-108
April 2000 The issue of whether pharmacists should be allowed to prescribe has generated a lot of debate. This article discusses the progress that has been made so far in securing such a roleThe Government has recently acknowledged and supported the main thrust of the Crown "Review of prescribing administration and supply of medicines". This will now require legislative change. At present, it is unclear what timescale the Government will pursue; Parliamentary time was said not to be available. However, with the Government's new imperative and new cash for the National Health Service, it is likely that previous plans will be reviewed. Necessary legislative changes may be achieved promptly. Two opportunities for pharmacist prescribing are available. The first relates to "Crown" and the second arises from government plans to develop a community pharmacy strategy which has not yet been published. This is likely to deal initially with products that are not prescription o­nly medicines (POMs), making them available at NHS expense through community pharmacies. This work will be important because it establishes some of the groundwork and cultural changes pertaining to confidentiality, accountability and probity, without trespassing o­nto the need for new underpinning knowledge requirements, since the products involved are currently provided by community pharmacists outside the NHS framework. Some additional new skills, with appropriate training, plus the development of a clear, evidence-based practice framework, perhaps based o­n a decision support basis, will undoubtedly be required. However, issues such as fragmentation of patient records and general practitioner (GP) awareness of the patient care provided will be little different from what they are today.



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