 |
  |
|
|
|
December Monday
5 December 2005
L-R Pharmacist Valender Ubhi, Dr Howard Stoate MP, Doug Naysmith MP and pharmacist Dilip Joshi.
Dilip demonstrating computer records and systems to the MPs.
October Tuesday 18 October 2005 "Health outside hospitals" - a special meeting on the future of primary care was held at the House of Commons. Guest speakers were Dr Michael Dixon, Chairman NHS Alliance and Dr Fiona Adshead, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health - pictured below with Chair, Dr Howard Stoate MP.
The All-Party Pharmacy Group held a public meeting on 18 October 2005 to discuss and debate policy issues relating to the forthcoming Department of Health white paper on healthcare outside hospitals and the current consultation programme, Your Health, Your Care, Your Say.
The Group was joined by two expert speakers: Dr Michael Dixon, Chair of the NHS Alliance; and Dr Fiona Adshead, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health. Dr Adshead has special responsibility for public health.
Michael Dixon outlined the high quality primary care service that already exists in the NHS. Nevertheless he argued there were clear reasons to seek improvements and make changes. First, there is not enough primary care - there are some gaps in service, and more services should be developed both to meet need and to anticipate it. Second, access to services can be difficult. For example, patients wishing to access their regular GP at weekends are likely to find it impossible. Third, primary care services - though generally good quality - are not always well coordinated either within primary care it self or even more so, with secondary care and specialist services. Dr Dixon also emphasised that commissioning arrangements are not as effective as they could be, and responsibilities in this area were being reassigned. For all these reasons he argued further change was needed in primary care.
In terms of the key changes he anticipated or favored, he highlighted his wish to see practice-based commissioning establish itself quickly and to facilitate real change in commissioning of services and patient care. He expected to see service developments in community-based primary care, including in the pharmacy setting. These could include diagnostic services, mental health service provision, and out-patient services in the community. He highlighted the lack of clarity around choice: do patients want choice or do they want access to a good local service? Can both policy objectives be achieved together - choice and improved access to local services?
He called for greater management integration of front line services and staff, and cited the example of healthcare assistants and district nurses. In this example, reporting lines were different leading to a lack of co-ordination in service delivery. Change was required to improve service delivery.
He expected to see a greater and greater role for profession-led commissioning in primary care, aimed at extending the range f services and choices available to patients. He predicted further evolution of the clustering model, in which GPs and other primary care professionals operate in a cluster providing a broad range of health services, and possibly incorporating social care services. This need not mean co-location in the same premises, but would see professionals working under one 'badge'.
Dr Fiona Adshead argued that while the NHS needs to provide a good 'illness service' it also needs to provide a good 'health service'. At present the public does not have sufficient access to high quality health improvement services. Community pharmacy has a major role to play in delivering a better health service. The government is keen to find new ways of delivering health services in communities, and pharmacies represent a key resource in this respect. The distribution of pharmacies enables equitable access to services.
The forthcoming white paper would seek to address issues concerning how services are delivered, who the providers might be, and how those who currently make little or no use of health services can be reached in future. There was a need to ensure local services were coordinated and planned, and she saw a partnership role here for local government as well as local health organisations.
It was important that standards and outcomes were effectively monitored and measured. Dr Adshead expected to see the QAF develop further and she raised the issue of how best to use existing resources, such as the Healthcare Commission, to carry out performance monitoring and measurement.
During debate and discussion, a broad range of issues were raised, including: the distracting effect of proposals for structural change at PCT and SHA level; the broad role that community pharmacy can play in delivering public health objectives not only through services related to medication but others such as weight management advice; the concerns created by uncertainty over medium term NHS funding plans; the need to strike the right balance in prioritising illness services and health services; the effect of prescription charging policy on access to services and to treatment; and the importance of supporting pharmacy services in communities where other forms of healthcare provision may be sparse or of a low quality. The All-Party Pharmacy Group will submit its views to ministers in advance of the publication of the white paper on healthcare outside hospitals.
July Monday 18 July 2005 On Monday 18 July, the Group visited Guy's & St Thomas's Hospital Trust. Departments to visited included, Intensive Care, A&E and General Medicine. Discussions took place with a Consultant Microbiologist, the Chief Pharmacist and Principal Clinical Pharmacist. Pictured below are (l
to r): Tony West - Chief Pharmacist;
Also in the party visiting St Thomas' were; Baroness Cumberlege CBE (Cons), Baroness Tonge (Lib Dem) and representatives of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, PSNC, Company Chemists Association and the National Pharmacy Association.
Robot dispenser, Pharmacy Department, Guys & St Thomas' Hospital, London.
June Monday 20 June 2005 Inaugural meeting of 2005 Parliament and AGM Guest speaker Rt Hon Jane Kennedy MP, Minister of State (Quality & Patient Safety)
At the inaugural meeting and AGM, the following MPs were elected officers of the Group; Chair - Dr Howard Stoate MP Vice Chairs -Baroness Jenny Tonge and Baroness Julia Cumberlege Treasurer - David Heath MP Secretary - Mark Todd MP Following the elections, Chair, Dr Howard Stoate MP made the following comments; "The
All-Party Pharmacy Group plans to be at least as active as in the
last Parliament. We will maintain cross-party approach and constructively
examine the issues and continue to submit reports and recommendations
for action to Jane and other relevant Health Ministers. Examples
of major policy areas that we have examined include public health
and obesity, NHS IT modernisation, and the regulation of service
provision.
February Monday 21 February 2005 The All-Party Pharmacy Group met on 21 February 2005 to examine current and future developments in the use of IT in community pharmacy and NHS primary care generally, and between primary and secondary care. A summary of the meeting can be read here: Meeting summary Speakers included Harry Cayton, Director for Patients and the Public, Department of Health and Lindsay McClure, Head of Information Services, PSNC.
|
 |
