PRIMARY CARE IS CENTRAL TO OUR HEALTH AND CARE SYSTEM. FOR MANY IT’S THE FIRST AND OFTEN ONLY POINT OF CONTACT WHEN HEALTH ISSUES ARISE
‘Since the start of the pandemic we have provided additional funding of £5.5 million to community pharmacies to help them meet some of the costs of responding to COVID-19 and to allow them to continue to meet the increased demand on their crucial services.
‘We have helped community pharmacists to help more patients and to perform an enhanced role to help reduce the pressure on other parts of NHS Scotland through the launch of the new NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service last July, which replaced the Minor Ailment Service. This has been an important step in our wide ranging response to the current crisis. NHS Pharmacy First Scotland is available to everyone in Scotland and is available from all community pharmacies across the network. It recognises that pharmacy teams are well placed to manage many common illnesses and symptoms and ensures the people of Scotland receive the right care, in the right place by the most appropriate healthcare professional. We will continue to build on its success by adding further common clinical conditions to the service.
‘Pharmacy teams are also integral to increasing the mobilisation of serial prescribing in Primary Care as part of the Medicines: Care and Review Service. This will enhance the management of medicines prescribed for long- term conditions and will continue to be a focus in 2021/22.
‘I recognise in particular the work pharmacy does to support general practice, which underlines the value of a strong, multidisciplinary primary care system. The investment of £205 million since 2018 has expanded and enhanced multi- disciplinary teams across Scotland. By ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, for example via direct access to a pharmacist to manage medication, we enable GPs to act as expert medical generalists, spending more time with individuals with complex care needs.
‘Scotland now has the highest number of GPs per head of population in the UK, with 76 GPs per 100,000 people, compared to a national UK average of 60, supported by the community pharmacy network.
‘Continued investment in pharmacy, and primary care as a whole, is vital. Enhancing multidisciplinary teams enables those working in primary care to use their unique sets of skills to improve the health and wellbeing of their patients by managing care in the community closer to people’s homes. Investing in primary care is an investment in the whole health and care system.
‘During the pandemic, we have seen again that through anticipatory care planning, preventing and managing illness in the community, a strong primary care system protects our hospital services.
‘I was delighted to see that the community pharmacy network was publicly recognised recently by receiving the Top Team Award in the Scottish Health Awards 2020. This was very well deserved and testament to the value and the vital role of community pharmacy teams.’
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE SEEN AGAIN THAT THROUGH ANTICIPATORY CARE PLANNING, PREVENTING AND MANAGING ILLNESS IN THE COMMUNITY, A STRONG PRIMARY CARE SYSTEM PROTECTS OUR HOSPITAL SERVICES
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