PRSB is consolidating the current six uses of pharmacy standards which we previously published in 2019 into a single community pharmacy standard to support implementation by community pharmacy system suppliers.

The work will also enhance the standard so that it will be able to support new services being developed and piloted under the new community pharmacy contractual framework. This is likely to include point of care testing (anti-microbial stewardship), smoking cessation referrals from secondary care, the Hepatitis C testing service, cardiovascular disease (hypertension) case finding service, palliative care and contraception provision.

The standard will support community pharmacies to deliver their expanding role in health and social care information recording and sharing. It will ensure that citizens have access a range of useful public health and medicines-related services at their local community pharmacy.

Enhancing the role of community pharmacists will help reduce the workload of GPs and other primary care staff and ensure that information can be routed from community pharmacies into GP records to ensure that the GP has a comprehensive record of care provided to a person with a minimum amount of GP practice administration.

Key stakeholders for existing pharmacy standards will be contacted about the consolidation work.  A multidisciplinary webinar on 9th December to discuss the information requirements for the enhanced standard is being planned. If you are interested in being involved, please contact info@theprsb.org.