Consultation launched on relaxing pharmacy medicine supply rules
Plans to make better use of pharmacies and improve access to primary care have been set out in a government consultation launched last week.
As part of its Primary Care Recovery Plan the government is considering changes to medicine supervision requirements in pharmacies.
Currently the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of pharmacy- and prescription-only medicines must be carried out by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist. However, as registered and regulated health professionals, pharmacy technicians are qualified to work without direct supervision.
These proposals would allow pharmacists to safely delegate more, allowing them to spend more time delivering patient-facing clinical services – in turn freeing up more appointments in general practice.
Health minister Andrea Leadsom said: ‘This is about making the most of the talents of our excellent and highly trained pharmacy staff, to benefit them and their patients, and improve service delivery more generally.
‘By giving pharmacy technicians the chance to use their skills in a safe way and take on more responsibility for dispensing, pharmacists will have more time to carry out the clinical assessments they are trained to do.
‘These include providing advice on oral contraception, common conditions and blood pressure tests rather than patients having to book an appointment at a general practice.’
The detailed proposals aim to:
- Enable pharmacists to authorise registered pharmacy technicians to perform tasks that would otherwise need to be performed by or under the supervision of pharmacists
- Let registered pharmacy technicians take primary responsibility for the preparation and assembly of medicinal products in highly specialised sterile manufacturing units in hospitals
- Allow checked and bagged prescribed medicines to be handed out in a retail pharmacy in the absence of a pharmacist, where authorised by a pharmacist. This aims to bring an end to situations where a patient cannot pick up their prescription when the pharmacist is at lunch or otherwise unavailable
Following the 12-week consultation and subsequent work by regulators and professional bodies, a pharmacist would be able to authorise pharmacy technicians to run a dispensary with reference to a pharmacist only where necessary.
Extensive engagement with the sector and profession has informed these proposals which have the support of the four Chief Pharmaceutical Officers of the UK.
In a joint statement, the four Chief Pharmaceutical Officers said: ‘These proposals will improve future patient care across the four UK nations by making appropriate, safe and productive use of pharmacy technicians’ knowledge and skills while at the same time enabling pharmacists to deliver a wider range of clinical services to support patients in hospitals and community pharmacies.
‘Recognising and more effectively using the skills of pharmacy technicians will enable pharmacists to spend a greater proportion of their time delivering patient-facing clinical services – using their training and expertise, including prescribing, to improve healthcare outcomes for patients and local communities.
‘This will improve career progression for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and ensure they are using their training and skills to contribute to the best of their professional ability as part of the NHS team.’
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