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A NEW REPORT HAS ONCE AGAIN HIGHLIGHTED THE CONTRIBUTION THAT COMMUNITY PHARMACY PROVIDES AT THE FRONT LINE OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY…


New report a real ‘work of ART’ C


ommunity pharmacies in Scotland are accessed by an estimated 600,000 people per


year, with around 94 per cent of the population using the services at least once every year.


Where once community pharmacy’s contribution was characterised by three functions: advice-only, referral and treatment – developments in various areas of the provision, such as the development of independent prescribers, has led to the expansion of patient-centred services such as the minor ailment service and chronic medication service.


As the service and expectation of community pharmacy has evolved, however, it has been argued that the general public are generally unaware of the breadth of service provision. Evidence has shown, in fact, that even in those with long-term conditions, awareness of community pharmacy capacity and regard for community pharmacy as a self-care resource are limited regarding the extended services available. Low public uptake and awareness of the general public has also been attributed to the limited perception of community pharmacy services as ‘dispensing only’, which has led to barriers to successful implementation of these services.


Now, a new study - ‘The ART of Community Pharmacy: Advice-Only, Referrals & Treatment’ – which has been produced by Community Pharmacy Scotland in collaboration with Robert Gordon University and the University of Strathclyde, has explored the contribution of community pharmacy by examining the experiences and perspectives of both those, who provide the service, and those who access it.


‘The study,’ says the report, ‘highlights the significant role that


community pharmacy teams play in encouraging self-management and acting as a touchpoint for health and social care at the heart of the community as a key component of the primary care team.’


Eight community pharmacies in Scotland participated in the research project, which explored the value of professional services.


Among the findings: • It is estimated that 2,100 people in Scotland are provided with advice- only from community pharmacy every hour, which would equate to 84,000 instances a week


• Four out of five (80.5 per cent) people accessing community pharmacy rated complete satisfaction of overall experience


• Six out of ten (57 per cent) people access community pharmacy because of the existing relationship with staff


• Two in five (41 per cent) of people would go to their GP if community pharmacy was unavailable


• Nine out of ten (93 per cent) want their GP and pharmacist to work closer together


• Three out of four (74.5 per cent) patients believe community pharmacists should have access to electronic health records


Advice-only Quantifying instances of advice-only outcomes of care from community pharmacy have revealed the previously unrecognised component of what the service provides. These advice-only instances demonstrate the capacity of community pharmacy whereby the skills and knowledge of the staff can avoid unnecessary treatments and provide support for self-care.


‘These efforts,’ says the report, ‘are not remunerated and generally unrecognised despite requiring both staff time and knowledge. The evidence from this report suggests that, nationally, community pharmacies across Scotland could have approximately 84,000 instances of advice-only outcomes with patients in one working week.’


Referrals The number of referrals reported from each site was consistently low. ‘This would suggest,’ says the report, ‘that community pharmacy is able to manage and appropriately provide care for those accessing its services and evidencing itself as the appropriate first point of call in most cases. Low referrals also reflect faster access to care for patients through not having to access other healthcare services and that those accessing care from community pharmacy are doing so appropriately according to their health and wellbeing needs.’


Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Opinions on EHRs showed strong approval for community pharmacists to have access to these and be trusted to maintain confidentiality should this access be granted. However, some concern around who would be able to see these records was reported by some participants when agreeing with the statement ‘I would be concerned that my electronic health record could be read by other people in the pharmacy’.


Pharmacy/GP collaboration Most participants agreed that they would like to see their community pharmacy and GP work more closely together, with 41 per cent of participants reporting that they would have otherwise accessed their GP had community pharmacy not been available. This evidenced alleviation of general practice supports national


initiatives to make use of the extensive services of community pharmacy to direct more serious illness to general practice and keep community pharmacy as the first port of call.


Overall view The three highest-rated reasons for choosing to access care from community pharmacy were: convenient location, existing relationship with the pharmacy already, and having accessed the service before.


‘This would suggest,’ says the report, ‘that the relationship with community pharmacy staff is recognised by patients as a key factor alongside ease of access. Given the high rates of consultation and relational empathy, community pharmacy staff and their interactions with patients are a key factor of the patient perception of the service.’


‘CPS is delighted with the report which demonstrates the clear value of community pharmacy team,’ said Harry McQuillan, CEO of Community Pharmacy Scotland. ‘The report allows us to highlight this value with key decision makers. NHS Pharmacy First Scotland will only add to this report in terms of data. This report, alongside this new service, should support further development of Pharmacy First so that the right person can receive the right care in the right place, with that place so often being the pharmacy at the centre of the individual’s community.’


The most common reason for accessing the services of community pharmacy was to collect prescribed medication (60.3 per cent), followed by buying medicines (23.3 per cent), seeking medical or health advice (13.7 per cent) and general shopping (2.7 per cent).


SCOTTISH PHARMACIST - 45


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