Responding to the DHSC's announcement of the GP Access Recovery Plan, Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Nigel Edwards said:
“These are practical measures which should make getting treatment easier and more convenient for patients. Enabling pharmacists to provide more care to patients and take some pressure off general practice is long overdue.
“However, it will need to be implemented carefully. The number of community pharmacies has actually been shrinking as their workload has risen. We will need to check there is genuinely new funding and serious support so that patients aren’t just shuffled between two overloaded parts of the NHS. If not many pharmacists are actually able to take this up, it could become confusing for the public, and the new digital systems which the plan intends will help allocate patients to different services won’t have enough options.
"Prescribing and outcomes for patients will need to be carefully monitored to ensure antibiotics aren’t overused and the right information is given about contraceptive pills.”
Notes to editors
1. The Nuffield Trust is an independent health think tank. We aim to improve the quality of health care in the UK by providing evidence-based research and policy analysis and informing and generating debate www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk
2. For all queries or to arrange an interview, contact: Simon Keen: 07780 475571 / simon.keen@nuffieldtrust.org.uk; or Eleanor Martin: 07920 043676 / eleanor.martin@nuffieldtrust.org.uk