RPS England has welcomed a new report from a House of Lords Committee on the Integration of Primary and Community Care.
Following a nine-month-long Inquiry, the report highlights a number of key steps to support more integrated care, including read-write access to patient records, expanded prescribing services, and support for the workforce.
Members of the English Pharmacy Board gave evidence to the Committee and joined virtual and in-person meetings to help inform its report.
Chair of RPS England Ms Tase Oputu, said: “Pharmacists and pharmacy teams play a vital role in supporting more integrated care, working with multidisciplinary teams across the health service.
“Enabling pharmacists and other health professionals to update a clinical record will be key to unlocking their potential to enhance patient care.
“We know that pharmacy teams need the time and resource to help plan and implement new services and the Committee recognises this cannot be simply added to meet day-to-day demand.
“Workforce planning and a greater commitment to protected time will be vital to helping deliver a more integrated health service for patients.”
The report finds that four key obstacles—structures and organisation, contracts, data-sharing, and workforce hinder the implementation of integration policies in the health service.
Conclusions and recommendations include:
- A properly maintained Single Patient Record and the ability for intersectoral data-sharing between healthcare professionals are essential to successful healthcare integration.
- A more simplified and flexible system for awarding contracts and allocating funds within the NHS to encourage multi-disciplinary, integrated working.
- A shortage of staff makes integration more difficult, as staff are required to spend more time meeting everyday demand, rather than proactively implementing new integration strategies.
- Welcoming ‘Pharmacy First’ and calling for more community disciplines to be given independent prescribing and referral rights.
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