Pharmacists ‘can create accessible healthcare’

Pharmacists can help create a more accessible healthcare system by providing additional patient screening, an industry figure has urged.

David Pruce, director of practice and quality improvement at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), highlighted that pharmacists already conduct some patient screening, adding that it makes sense to expand that.

He described pharmacists as being “ideally placed” to help reduce NHS waiting times as most patients are within a 20 minute walk of a pharmacy.

“Utilising the skills of pharmacists provides an opportunity to free up GPs, who don’t have the time or capacity to screen patients and provide further follow up,” explained Mr Pruce.

Recently, Tesco announced that its pharmacies would begin to offer in-shop health “MOTs”, testing for a variety of problems such as cholesterol and blood pressure and providing advice on lifestyle and general fitness.

The supermarket giant suggested the move would make consumers more aware of their health.