A "RADICAL" OVERHAUL OF GP SERVICES MEANS PHARMACISTS HAVE NEW POWERS TO PRESCRIBE DRUGS FOR SEVEN COMMON CONDITIONS, AS WOMEN WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO GET ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS

OVER THE COUNTER 10:02, 09 May 2023 Pharmacists have been handed new prescription powers in a "radical" overhaul of England's GP services. The new plan being launched by NHS

England has been billed as a “major expansion of services under a radical plan” that intends to make sure millions of people will receive quicker and more convenient care. Now patients will

be able to get prescriptions directly from the pharmacy without even needing to go to the GP for seven common conditions. But there are some concerns that the plans will simply shift the

contraceptive pills will also become available from pharmacies. The plans come as part of government efforts to help reform overstretched GP services and are the same as similar schemes that

worked in Scotland and Wales. When the current Tory government came into power in 2019, they promised to hire an extra 6,000 GPs, but from then until March of this year, the number of GPs

actually fell from 28,000 by 500. The new plans are likely to kick in by next winter and the NHS claims they will free up around 15 million GP appointments over the next two years. However,

this doesn’t address the root issue around accessing GPs, which is a lack of doctors and The Mirror was told of concerns that pharmacies themselves were "fighting for survival" and

more needed to be done to address the "funding crisis, workforce challenges and medicine supply issues". Dr Leyla Hannbeck CEO of Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies

said: “The plan recognises the important role that community pharmacy can play in improving patient access to care. Any measures to facilitate patient care with a less cumbersome, less time

consuming and easier bureaucratic burden will be welcomed by pharmacy teams the length and breadth of the country. "Over 90% of independent community pharmacies’ activities are for the

NHS and pharmacies do not pass on their costs on to their patients and customers, consequently, many are operating at a loss. Years of underfunding have left them fighting for their

survival. There is a shortfall of £1.1bn in pharmacy funding every year and rising, and many pharmacies are struggling to pay the ever-increasing prices of medicines and the higher general

costs of doing business and managing greater workforce challenges. "So far since 2015, more than 800 pharmacies have closed permanently and sadly more will shut this year. We have

always been willing to play our part in supporting the NHS. We demonstrated that during the pandemic when we kept our doors open and provided a vital service to our struggling communities.

Whilst the Government’s Primary Care Recovery Plan is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to address the funding crisis, workforce challenges and medicines supply issues

that have brought our pharmacies to their knees, causing more and more pharmacies to close their doors permanently.” SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO GET THE DAY'S BIGGEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO

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thing every morning, at 12noon and every evening. Never miss a moment by signing up to our newsletter here. Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive said: “GPs and their teams are working

incredibly hard to deal with unprecedented demand for appointments. But with an ageing population, we know we need to further expand and transform the way we provide care for our local

communities and make these services fit for the future. “Today, we are setting out an ambitious package of measures to do just that – with pharmacies playing a central role in managing the

nation’s health including providing lifesaving checks and medication for common conditions for the first time. “This blueprint will help us to free up millions of appointments for those who

need them most, as well as supporting staff so that they can do less admin and spend more time with patients." The new blueprint for care comes just months ahead of the 75th anniversary

of the NHS, this July 5. Another major move the reforms hope to make is eliminating the 8am rush for appointments - aiming to have no patient waiting on hold just to be told to call back

another day. Around £240million will be spent on a new phone system, ministers announced recently, but the plans were blasted by Labour as giving patients “better hold music” instead of more

doctors. Wes Streeting, the Shadow Health Secretary, said the “shallow offer” showed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was out of touch with patients. He added: “The reason people can’t get a GP

appointment is the Conservatives have cut 2,000 GPs. Better hold music isn’t going to change that. “Nothing in this announcement will train more doctors, allow patients to choose a

face-to-face appointment, or bring back the family doctor so patients see the same GP each time.” Mr Streeting called on the Government to adopt Labour’s plan to train 7,500 more doctors a

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