The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales has welcomed the continued commitment of the Welsh Government to community pharmacy and the announcement of an additional investment of £100,000 in pharmacist training.
The Minister for Health and Social Services, Mr Vaughan Gething AM made the announcement at the Welsh Pharmacy Conference held in the Vale of Glamorgan where he underlined the importance of transforming the offering of pharmacy from supply of medicines to the delivery of clinical services.
The £100,000 funding package for pharmacists will focus specifically on managing minor ailments and will be used to fund specialist clinical skills training for 50 pharmacists.
In his key note speech, Mr Gething acknowledged the importance of the community pharmacy network and the role of pharmacists in transforming the delivery of health care in the community. He emphasised the importance of ensuring the pharmacy workforce has the right skills to deliver new services and the ambition of the Welsh Government as outlined in the long term plan for health and social care, A Healthier Wales.
The Health Minister also took the opportunity to welcome the recent development of the vision for pharmacy which he described as the “foundation for future success” across all sectors of pharmacy. Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales sets out a vision for pharmaceutical care in Wales over the next decade and provides a strategic outline of transformation to ensure that patient care is optimised by making best use of the unique skills of the pharmacy workforce. It is the result of extensive collaboration with the pharmacy profession and the wider health care community, including many months of significant discussion, engagement and effort of members of the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee and of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’ in Wales, without whose help it could not have been produced.
Mr Gething said the Welsh Government would now consider the proposals contained in the vision over the summer and continue to work with the profession in taking forward this ambitious plan.
Commenting on the Minister’s key note speech, Mair Davies, RPS Director for Wales said:
“The RPS in Wales is thrilled to hear of the continued commitment of the Welsh Government to the pharmacy profession in Wales. We wholeheartedly welcome the Health Minister’s enthusiasm to securing and expanding the future roles of the pharmacy team and look forward to working closely with the Welsh Government and colleagues across Wales to implement the proposals to improve patient care outlined in the pharmacy vision, via the formation of a National Delivery Programme Board”.
You can now read the full Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales document.