Radical proposals to encourage closer working between community pharmacy and general practice have been jointly proposed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the National Association of Primary Care.

‘Current pressures in primary care access, coupled with increasing demand and a squeeze on finances’ mean that it is the right time to start thinking differently about how primary care can meet the needs of patients and the public, say the two organisations.

They propose new integrated programmes and financial incentives through a ‘Joint Population Health Framework’ to drive collaborative working.

‘For too long community pharmacy has been straightjacketed, with a top down contract that doesn’t allow practitioners like me to redesign our local services in line with the population’s needs,’ said RPS President and NAPC Board member, Ash Soni.

‘Working with NAPC, we are suggesting that there is a different way of approaching healthcare, where skills and access are designed to meet patient demand. The NHS is looking for new models of care; I believe that we can either be part of the change and look to an enhanced role or stay as we are and risk being marginalised.’

The employment of general practice pharmacists is given as an example of a new opportunity to forge closer working.

‘It’s very encouraging that the focus on greater collaboration between community pharmacy and general practice has been recognised,’ said NAPC chair, Dr Nav Chana.

A consultation on the subject will run until 6 October, with a link to the document here.