Group items tagged

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has partnered with the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare to advocate for a nationally commissioned service to provide free oral emergency contraception through community pharmacies in England. Tase Oputu, chair of RPS in England, has called the current inequities in access to free emergency contraception in the country "unacceptable," noting that only around half of community pharmacies are commissioned to offer this essential service. As a result, many women are left without the support they need in time-critical situations. She said: "All women should have equal access to free emergency contraception, no matter where they live." "Inconsistent commissioning of the service across England creates unnecessary barriers to those on low incomes and puts additional pressure on other healthcare services."

Community Pharmacy Wales and the Welsh government have entered an agreement on Thursday (December 16), enabling all pharmacies to deliver provision of contraception, treatment for common minor ailments, and access to repeat medicines in an emergency. Expansion of clinical community pharmacy service will be supported with an increased funding of £20 million a year by April 2024 from the current level of £11.4m. The two bodies have been negotiating the terms of agreement, which also includes plans to roll out a Wales-wide pharmacy prescribing service, allowing trained pharmacists to treat an extended range of conditions that currently require GP visits. The agreement will allow patients to access NHS services closer to home which in turn would free up GP and other NHS services for patients with more complex needs. Eluned Morgan MS, minister for Health and Social Services said: "I welcome the positive approach to negotiations taken by Community Pharmacy Wales, embracing our ambition for a reimagined community pharmacy service, which is an integral part of a strong primary care landscape."

As part of a new blueprint for primary care, the government today (May 9) announced an investment of £645 million over two years to expand community pharmacy services in England. In a statement, NHS England said: "For the first time ever, patients who need prescription medication will be able to get it directly from a pharmacy, without a GP appointment, for seven common conditions including earache, sore throat, or urinary tract infections." Prime minister Rishi Sunak hopes that the measures will help end the "all-too stressful wait on the end of the phone for patients" by freeing up 15 million slots at doctors' surgeries over the next two years. "We will end the 8am rush and expand the services offered by pharmacies, meaning patients can get their medication quickly and easily," he said Almost half a million women will no longer need to speak to a practice nurse or GP to access oral contraception and will instead be able to pop into their local pharmacy for it, according to the government announcement. Blood checks for people suffering from moderate risk of heart attack or stroke conducted in community pharmacies will more than double from 900,000 last year to 2.5 million next year. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said the "ambitious package" would help transform how care is provided within the health service "with pharmacies playing a central role in managing the nation's health including providing lifesaving checks and medication for common conditions for the first time.

Community pharmacies are bracing themselves to withdraw services from patients after an industry ballot supported plans for major action unless the government provided a significant increase in funding for the sector. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) on Tuesday (12) announced the results of an unprecedented collective action ballot in which nearly all pharmacy owners, who participated in the ballot, voted to limit their services, insisting that a lack of additional funding is jeopardising patients health and safety. Over 63 per cent of NPA members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in the ballot- representing 3,049 independent community pharmacies in England alone, or 3,399 with Wales and Northern Ireland included. Nearly 98 per cent of pharmacy owners in England voted to reduce their opening hours to the minimum required by their contract. This could result in fewer pharmacies remaining open during evenings and weekends. More than 93 per cent voted to stop offering "unfunded" free home deliveries of medicines, and over 96 per cent voted to withdraw from locally commissioned services, including certain addiction support, emergency contraception, and stop smoking services.

In a unified effort to improve women's healthcare, four leading organisations-the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH)-are calling for the commissioning of a National Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service in England. They are proposing that this service be provided free of charge through community pharmacies to women of all ages across the country. They emphasised that such a service would "not only transform access to care for all women, but directly tackle health inequalities and vastly improve health outcomes."