As we enjoy New Year Celebrations, and the year changes into 2015; our thoughts perhaps reflect on the past year and look forward with anticipation to the New Year?
What a year we’ve had in Community Pharmacy...
In terms of hassle, perhaps stock shortages were the thing that irritated you the most, but perhaps the most disappointing result last year was the remuneration settlement; which once again has us doing more work for less payment. It reminds us though that the future is in service delivery? We simply must engage as much as possible with locally commissioned services – and the LPC is doing its utmost to get new local services commissioned from any agency that will listen. There will be no new money via the supply chain - so please get involved in any new commissioned services and do them well. Quality of care is important...
The NHS has to save money moving forward and Community Pharmacy if commissioned will provide savings...
A good example is to make community pharmacy the first port of call for minor ailments...walk-in centres, GP surgeries and casualty departments are really not the place that patients should be accessing minor ailment treatment...give it to Community Pharmacy and there will be better patient access and massive savings to the NHS.
Public Health Services like vaccination are another good example. We could be commissioned to provide so much more than flu!
The list goes on...and commissioners must start to commission differently.
The New Year will almost certainly bring new challenges for community pharmacy in our patch, but your LPC is ideally placed and eager to help. Our news/twitter feeds are always sending out relevant items for contractors, their pharmacists and their support staff and we provide many training events throughout the year.
So let’s raise a glass and drink a toast to the future, a future where community pharmacy really is fully embedded in the NHS - providing value for money quality pharmaceutical care to patients...Happy New Year!
What a year we’ve had in Community Pharmacy...
In terms of hassle, perhaps stock shortages were the thing that irritated you the most, but perhaps the most disappointing result last year was the remuneration settlement; which once again has us doing more work for less payment. It reminds us though that the future is in service delivery? We simply must engage as much as possible with locally commissioned services – and the LPC is doing its utmost to get new local services commissioned from any agency that will listen. There will be no new money via the supply chain - so please get involved in any new commissioned services and do them well. Quality of care is important...
The NHS has to save money moving forward and Community Pharmacy if commissioned will provide savings...
A good example is to make community pharmacy the first port of call for minor ailments...walk-in centres, GP surgeries and casualty departments are really not the place that patients should be accessing minor ailment treatment...give it to Community Pharmacy and there will be better patient access and massive savings to the NHS.
Public Health Services like vaccination are another good example. We could be commissioned to provide so much more than flu!
The list goes on...and commissioners must start to commission differently.
The New Year will almost certainly bring new challenges for community pharmacy in our patch, but your LPC is ideally placed and eager to help. Our news/twitter feeds are always sending out relevant items for contractors, their pharmacists and their support staff and we provide many training events throughout the year.
So let’s raise a glass and drink a toast to the future, a future where community pharmacy really is fully embedded in the NHS - providing value for money quality pharmaceutical care to patients...Happy New Year!
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