Pharmacy Voice welcomes Lansley’s pause for reflection on NHS reforms

Date: 08 04 2011

Pharmacy Voice has welcomed the Government’s commitment to pause and reflect on the progress of NHS reforms in England, as details began to emerge today of a two month listening exercise.  The representative body of pharmacy owners today wrote to the Prime Minister to reemphasise the need for engagement with pharmacy at this critical moment.

Rob Darracott, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice said:

“The pause allows us to re-state our support for plans to make care more patient centred and improve access and choice, to voice our concerns about the reforms and point out the opportunities to maximise the contribution of community pharmacy to the health and wellbeing of the nation.”

In particular, Pharmacy Voice will emphasise: 

• Rigorous accountability within any new structures, so that the public can be assured of high quality care and value for money
• The proper balance of national and local action.   Whilst a degree of local customisation is desirable, the government must take responsibility for ensuring universal access to critical services
• The role of community pharmacy in achieving better medicines use, improving access to care, and public health
• Community pharmacy needs to be represented and consulted throughout the new commissioning system
• The need to maintain investment and forward momentum on the NHS frontline during the transition period

 Rob Darracott continued:

“A pause for reflection is wise, provided there is a genuine listening exercise at its heart, and a commitment to act on what is learned.  What we do not want is for pause to turn into confusion and inertia.  Already the reform programme has combined with tight budgets to create a critical loss of momentum for some pharmacy services”.