By Dr Bruce Warner FRPharmS, Chair of the Medicine Shortages Advisory Group
The last few years have seen increasing concern about medicine shortages and pharmacists continue to express their frustration about the impact this has both on patients and pharmacy teams.
All too often, pharmacists have to spend time ringing around to find out who might have a medicine in stock. Patients spend time running between different pharmacies. GPs spend time re-writing prescriptions for an alternative.
This can be really distressing for patients and professionally frustrating for pharmacists who want to see patients get the best care they can.
I know there is a huge amount of work behind the scenes in government and the NHS to help mitigate potential medicines shortages before they even happen. But despite this vital work, there is rising concern from charities and health professionals about the impact of shortages on patients. These days, the issue is never far from the headlines and politicians are increasingly asking what more can be done.
I welcomed the invitation from the RPS to support a new project to examine the causes of the growing challenge of medicines shortages and help tackle their impact on patients and pharmacy practice.
This is a complex issue and there are a range of factors which can contribute to a medicine shortage. There are a number of organisations across the UK with different roles and insights, and I want to help bring this together at the RPS to build a collaborative view.
I was pleased to chair the first meeting of a new advisory group which will be helping to inform the project. Medicines shortages may not be a new issue, but it is clear from discussions that there is a growing recognition that greater collaboration is needed to help drive change.
As we work to develop recommendations, which will be published in a final report later this year, we’ll be drawing on the expertise of our advisory group, interviewing stakeholders, and listening to RPS members. We will also work with National Voices and others to engage with patients and ensure we learn from their experiences.
The project team and I look forward to hearing from you about what steps can begin to make a difference.
You can register for the RPS member events on 16 and 25 April. If you want to get in touch with the team, email [email protected].
Find out more about the project.
Read more RPS blogs.