A few weeks ago, three members of the Robson Laidler team attended the first Pharmacy and GP conference in Birmingham.
We got to speak with Independent Prescribers, Locums, Nurses, Pharmacy Technicians, Practice Managers and GPs.
It was great to see so many in attendance, especially on Father’s day!
What was the key theme?
The Future – Change and Collaboration!
The need for the local NHS – GPs, Pharmacies, Dental practices, Care homes etc. to build a connected community so there is consistency for patients.
An understanding of the skills each area can bring to primary care, move away from the overlap of services and wasted resources to have a joined-up approach to care in a way they can grow, together.
Change isn’t easy but there are people out there beginning to pave the way.
Pharmacies collaborating with GP Surgeries – pathfinder
We tend to see a more ‘community focused’ approach in rural area’s however there is a need for this to be pushed out across the board:
- To have a shared goal to improve timely access for patients while reducing avoidable pressure on GP appointments
- Have early conversations with stakeholders to define what help is needed and build confidence in pharmacy-led clinical care
- Build Relationship, Practical Communication, and share an understanding of the scope of work:
- What the pharmacy can safely manage
- How patients would be redirected
- When escalation back to the practice would be needed
- Trust built through consistent clinical practice, clear decision making, regular dialogue
- Day to day, appropriate patients will present at the GP practice, minor illness will be safely directed to the pharmacy for same day assessment, advice and treatment
Why – to improve the flow through the system, have clear and agreed clinical scope and a pathway back to the GP when needed
Pharmacies within the PCN
Whilst the Community pharmacy PCN engagement lead role was introduced in 2019 as part of the Pharmacy Quality Scheme, there was no formalised and centralised funding for the role by NHS England until 2024.
Whilst the role has evolved over time, three key components were identified as needed to ensure service optimisation:
- Relationship building: Lead to reach out to GPs and Pharmacies in the area, online and face to face, to aid communication
- Service improvement: Work collaboratively to increase uptake with primary focus on developing and growing pharmacy services
- Leadership development: Ongoing peer support and development to build capability and sustain momentum
They provide a unified point of contact between community pharmacies and general practice.
Connecting pharmacies and GP practices to manage stock shortages
The NHS is currently experiencing severe national medicine shortages, which is driven by global manufacturing issues, raw material supply chain disruptions and pricing pressures.
To manage the supply disruption and maintain patient care, there are several mitigation strategies:
- Serious shortage protocols: If a specific medicine is critically low, pharmacists can issue alternative strengths, formulations or equivalent drugs, without returning to a GP
- Medicine supply notifications: DHSC and NHS England issue direct clinical guidance to healthcare professionals. Access comprehensive rackers detailing alternative treatment
If GPs and Pharmacies can work together, they can prevent treatment delays and protect patient safety:
- Communicate out-of-stock items directly to GPs, saving patients having to travel between multiple pharmacies or repeat visits to GP. This can also reduce the admin burden, as GPs can then write prescriptions for available drugs, relieving strain.
- Collaboration enables faster prescription amendments.
- Protects vulnerable patients who have complex or long-term conditions. Continuous switches could destabilise their health, therefore working together ensures the patient receives the right medication, with the proper clinical monitoring.
With the introduction of the Neighbourhood 10 year plan, it is becoming essential that NHS services work more collaboratively:
- Tackle rising demand
- Agrees stock and workforce shortages
- Ensure sustainable, high-quality care.
By bringing practices and allied health professionals together, the NHS can streamline operations, reduce clinical burnout, and offer patients a more holistic, seamless healthcare system.
By spreading the load across services, this opens up more opportunities to move more services, previously complete as Secondary care services, into the primary care community.
And with the move of services, comes the move of funding!
Navigating change with confidence
At Robson Laidler, we work with pharmacies, GP practices and healthcare professionals to help them navigate change with confidence. If you’d like to discuss how these changes could affect your practice or pharmacy – from funding and profitability to long-term business planning – our specialist healthcare advisers would be happy to help.
To learn more about our specialist healthcare accountancy services, contact us at: wanttoknowmore@robson-laidler.co.uk and someone will be in touch to discuss your needs.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. Please do not take or refrain from action based on its contents. Information is based on our understanding of legislation at the date of publish and may change in future.