The CCA is calling on the Department of Health and Social Care to seize the opportunity to unlock the potential of pharmacy teams through legislation and regulation fit for the future.
The call is made in the CCA’s response to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on rebalancing medicines legislation and regulation. The public consultation, which closes today, relates to Rebalancing Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation draft orders under section 60 of the Health Act 1999: Pharmacy (Responsible Pharmacists, Superintendent Pharmacists etc.) Order 2018.
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the CCA said: “We welcome proposals to move from legislation to regulation in pharmacy, but any changes must enable the further evolution of community pharmacy services.
“We continue to support the principle of ‘one pharmacy, one pharmacist’. Nevertheless, we also see this as an opportunity to start to unlock the potential provided by the whole pharmacy team to deliver timely and cost effective services for patients and the NHS and move away from outdated legislation.”
The CCA believes that as services become more clinical, an enabling governance structure for pharmacy professionals will increase public confidence in community pharmacy as the first port of call for patients and the public. The full consultation response also sets out that:
- The CCA wants more clarity about the proposed ‘senior manager’ definition for Superintendent Pharmacists
- It has concerns about the lack of clarity around proposed roles and responsibilities for Superintendent and Responsible Pharmacists, together with other company officials, and
- Together with all parts of community pharmacy, the CCA expects to play an early and full role in shaping the governance and regulation of the sector.
Mr Harrison continued: “Community pharmacy must not be held back by laws made half a century ago. The CCA continues to call on the Rebalancing Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation Programme Board, which is reviewing the legislation around pharmacy across the UK, to maintain the momentum recently gained. We need to work together to ensure that evolving legislation and regulation is safe, efficient and contributes to securing improved patient outcomes.”