The Scottish Government has made two commitments to community pharmacy, which will expand and enhance the services available next year. 

In its programme for 2018-19, Delivering for today, investing for tomorrow, published earlier this month, the Government said it is to develop and implement a redesigned minor ailment and common conditions service which will be made available to all people in Scotland within the year. The Government has also committed to “strengthening and refreshing” the Chronic Medication Service (CMS) to enable community pharmacists to provide “personalised care for people with stable long-term conditions”. 

Adding further detail, Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS), said the revamped Minor Ailment Service will be supported with a promotional campaign using the strapline, “Feeling unwell? Pharmacy first”. The “enhanced” CMS will build in medication reviews with pharmacists prescribing and monitoring patients’ medicines. P3pharmacy understands that it will also be rebranded as the Medicines Care & Review service.

CPS chair Martin Green commented: “We are delighted to welcome this announcement and look forward to working with Scottish Government to explore and shape the evolution of the service over the coming year. We will be building upon our substantial efforts to demonstrate the value that community pharmacy teams add to Scotland’s health record. We intend to firmly cement the idea of the community pharmacy team as an essential part of the wider NHS and as trusted clinicians in people’s minds.”