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Chief pharmaceutical officer David Webb has urged sector leaders and integrated care boards to “take the initiative” and develop prescribing-based services in the community pharmacy sector.  

Addressing the Clinical Pharmacy Congress in London on Friday May 8, Mr Webb stressed the importance of collaboration, which he said will be needed to “maximise our greatest opportunities over the next two to four years”.

He said: “I’d like to call on ICB leaders and community pharmacy leaders to take the initiative now – to work together to commission and develop community pharmacist prescribing services.”

Presenting with the CPhO, NHS England clinical fellow Anum Iqbal told conference delegates the NHS is working on a professional assurance framework that “will set out clear requirements of ICBs, employers, and registrants and a consistent approach to the clinical supervision, conflicts of interest, and clinical risk and accountabilities and appraisal”. 

She added: “Commissioning guidance will be designed to support ICBs to plan, develop and implement safe and effective community pharmacy prescribing services and navigate the key governance, digital workforce and operational considerations.

“The aim is to support a nationally coherent, locally tailored approach to commissioning of prescribing services."

Ms Iqbal said an evaluation of the NHS-commissioned prescribing pathfinder programme found that the use of pharmacist-led prescribing consultations “had a positive impact on patient access, workforce use and integration”.

She added: “Pharmacist prescribers demonstrated good prescribing practice, with fewer than 0.5 per cent of items considered to be of low clinical value.” 

Commenting on the Department of Health and Care’s approach to the rise in private prescribing of weight loss drugs and other medicines, the CPhO said: “The government's response to the call of evidence of private prescribing will also be quite clear when the recommendations are published later this year.

“It's clear that the expansion in private prescribing of weight loss medicines has at least in part prompted the review and the recommendations will be of central importance to the pharmaceutical profession." 

Updating the audience on efforts to combat drug shortages, he said: “Too often, in my opinion, pharmacy teams are managing shortages, advising patients and prescribers, and maintaining safety under increasing pressure.

“Over the past year, the NHS and DHSE have taken steps to strengthen supply resilience, and there is a plan to link shortage data to GP prescribing systems.

“This work is about ensuring patients get the care they need and better supporting frontline teams so pharmacy teams can focus on patient care.”