Issue - meetings

Community Pharmacy Scrutiny Review

Meeting: 01/02/2017 - People Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 43)

43 Community Pharmacy Scrutiny Review pdf icon PDF 82 KB

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Minutes:

The Chair of the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee introduced the report of the Scrutiny Review Panel that set out the findings and recommendations arising from a Scrutiny Review of Community Pharmacies. She informed that this particular review, arising from a Notice of Motion to Council (11 July 2016) from Councillor Phil Gilchrist, had been undertaken in a slightly different way i.e. through the holding of an ‘evidence day’, and had been completed in a timely fashion. Consideration would be made to using this method in future reviews.

 

The report informed that the People Overview & Scrutiny Committee agreed to form a task and finish group to undertake a review, but on the advice of NHS England, it was not practical to commence the review immediately as the Government had not, at that time, made a formal response to the consultation nor provided detailed proposals regarding the future contractual and financial arrangements for community pharmacies. Following a period of negotiation with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), the Government imposed a settlement. New arrangements were published by the Department of Health on 21 October 2016. As a result, an Evidence Day was held on 16 November 2016, including representatives from NHS England, Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Community Pharmacy Cheshire & Wirral Local Pharmacy Committee and Public Health (Wirral Borough Council).

 

The Chair expressed thanks to Councillors Angela Davies, Treena Johnson, Chris Meaden, Tony Norbury, Tom Usher, Tom Anderson and Phil Gilchrist for their contributions to the review, evidence gathering and preparation of the summary report.

 

The Committee noted the content and endorsed the recommendations within the Community Pharmacy Scrutiny Review, namely that:

 

Recommendation 1 – Monitoring the future impact of the new contractual and funding arrangements

It is recognised that the impact of the Government’s contractual and funding arrangements for community pharmacies is causing concern among the providers. As no local impact assessments of the new arrangements have taken place, the consequences of the policy change are currently unclear. Therefore, Wirral’s Health & Wellbeing Board is requested to keep an on-going brief over future developments in the local pharmacy market. Further data will be required to establish:

 

  • The number of pharmacies directly affected (by closure or merger);
  • The impact of changes in the market on any specific communities, particularly in light of the criteria for eligibility to the new Pharmacy Access Scheme not including any indicator of community deprivation;
  • The potential impact on other service providers, such as GPs.

 

Recommendation 2 – Integration of pharmacies within the NHS

As members welcome proposals to further integrate community pharmacies and pharmacists more closely within the NHS, Wirral CCG and NHS England are encouraged to further develop the principle of co-location between GP practices and pharmacies (or employment of a clinical patient-facing pharmacist). 

 

Recommendation 3 – Diversification of pharmacy services

As the GP Five Year Forward View gives a direct incentive to promote the use of pharmacies for specialised services such as the treatment of diabetes or deep vein thrombosis, Wirral CCG is encouraged  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43