Pharmacy sector challenges could put government’s NHS reform plans at risk - GPhC warns

GPhC urges the government to allow pharmacy services full read and write access to a patient’s clinical records 

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has warned that if the challenges faced by the pharmacy sector are left unaddressed, they could jeopardize the government’s plans to transform the NHS.

In its response to the government’s Change NHS conversation, the GPhC noted that all three intended transformational shifts in the 10-Year Health Plan depend to a significant extent on “delivering the high ambitions for pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to further expand their roles in integrated health services, improving access to care for patients and the public.”

The GPhC stated in its submission that the pharmacy sector faces challenges that impact its short- and long-term sustainability.

“From workforce planning to commercial viability, integration with and access to the wider healthcare system, and the impact of global and national medicines shortages and supply chain issues, these challenges, if left unaddressed, will put the UK government’s plans at risk,” it said.

Commenting on the biggest challenges to moving more care from hospitals to communities, the regulator highlighted the declining number of registered pharmacies, particularly in England.

It revealed that, as of 31 October 2024, there were 13,261 registered pharmacies in Great Britain, including those that operate online.

The overall figure has been falling over the past eight years in England, while numbers in Scotland and Wales tend to fluctuate, affecting accessibility for patients.

“Digital integration and interoperability across healthcare is not currently where it needs to be, and can be an obstacle to safe, effective and person-centred care,” the GPhC stated, identifying it as a barrier to making better use of technology in health and care.

The GPhC highlighted the importance of access to data, including patient records, to help “inform decision-making on medicines, and to enable pharmacy services to work closely with hospitals and doctors in delivering safe and effective care for patients.”

The regulator also agrees with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘A vision for pharmacy professional practice in England’ that allowing pharmacy services full read-and-write access to a patient’s clinical records in all care settings will bring transformative benefits.

“This should be prioritised and delivered so that patient care and safety is not put at risk and pharmacy services can maximise the benefits of data-led healthcare,” it added.

Furthermore, the GPhC identified three main challenges that could impact the ability of community pharmacies to spot and tackle illness at the earliest possible moment - work pressures on teams, growing reliance on locums, and lack of awareness of the services that community pharmacies can provide.

The regulator stressed that pharmacies are well-placed to help create opportunities for active measures to prevent illness, such as educating patients about wellbeing and encouraging healthy lifestyles, and they can support effective public health awareness campaigns and promote knowledge of the services they can offer.

From 2026, all newly registered pharmacists will be independent prescribers.

As of 31 October 2024, the GPhC reports that 17,084 of the 65,919 pharmacists on the register have a prescriber annotation.

As new pharmacists join the register, the proportion with a prescriber annotation is expected to increase rapidly.

The regulator noted that this will expand the role pharmacists can play, enabling community pharmacists to identify and prescribe for ill health as early as possible.

Louise Edwards, chief strategy officer at the GPhC, said that the 10-year Health Plan for England provides the opportunity to put pharmacy on a resilient and sustainable footing for the future and enable pharmacy teams to fulfil wider clinical roles.

“We stand ready to support positive change for patients and the pharmacy sector and look forward to continued discussions about how this change can be achieved,” she added.