Agenda item

The Board will receive two presentations in relation to pharmacy on a new inspection model for pharmacies and the role of community pharmacies.

Board Members received two presentations in relation to pharmacy services on a new inspection model for pharmacies and the role of community pharmacies. Following the meeting slides from both presentations were put online with the published agenda.

Mark Voce, the Head of Inspection from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and Professor Richard Parish gave presentations to the Board on a new inspection model for pharmacies and the role of Community Pharmacies.

New Inspection Model for Pharmacies

Members were told that the new inspection model was the first time that pharmacies had been inspected against set regulated standards for registered pharmacies. It was noted that following an inspection, feedback was given by the inspector and all the members of pharmacy team were informed of this rather than just the main pharmacist. It was hoped that inspection reports would be

published in the future but that further work needed to be done before this could occur.

Questions from the Board in respect of the first presentation included;

·        Would lay people be involved in pharmacy inspections?

·        If standards were set individually by each pharmacy would this have an effect on the safety of patients?

In response it was reported that;

·        The GPhC were keen to see how to involve more people in inspections.

·        That the new model would encourage innovation but with a focus on consistency and outcomes.

The Role of Community Pharmacies

It was highlighted that the role of the Community Pharmacy was not to compete with GP surgeries but was about collaboration in providing patient care.

Community Pharmacies could act as the “NHS on the High Street” and for example could help patients with Long Term Conditions who may not have accessed either a GP’s surgery or an Accident and Emergency Department beforehand.

Questions from the Board on Professor Parish’s presentation included;

·        How was customer insight being measured, how aware of the pharmacy of the local community? For example how much of a relationship did Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) have with local pharmacies?

·        It was not known if York had a Healthy Living Pharmacy, but what might the barriers be to having one?

·        Had additional work been carried out regarding mental health training for pharmacists to support residents?

·        What was the ownership model of a pharmacy, could it have vested interests?

In response it was reported that;

·        Pharmacies hitting an ‘excellent’ mark would play a wider role in the community, for example they would notice migration changes.

·        Independent pharmacists had been keen to collaborate and form Healthy Living Pharmacies.

·        Larger companies that operated pharmacies tended to want consistency across all their stores, but this could make it difficult to be as responsive to local circumstances as other pharmacies.

It was felt that more action needed to be taken on investigating the role of pharmacies within the Care Hub model outlined in the Better Care Fund.

The Chair agreed and suggested that it be discussed at the next meeting. She thanked both presenters for their presentations and attendance at the meeting and pointed out that York was the first Health and Wellbeing Board that had been visited by the GPhC.

Resolved:  (i)  That the presentations be noted.

                  (ii) That further action be taken to consider the place of pharmacy in Care Hubs within the Better Care Fund.

Reason:    In order to inform future work of the Health and Wellbeing Board.