The Government says that the four UK health departments all plan to develop NHS pharmacy services as part of plans to improve access to services, to boost public health and tackle health inequalities, to provide better support for people with long term conditions and to improve the provision of professional advice for patients.
The purpose of the new Responsible Pharmacist changes is to support delivery of these plans whilst maintaining public safety in relation to the dispensing and sale of medicines.
The existing concept of ‘personal control’ is generally agreed to be a barrier to the provision of new clinical services by community pharmacy as it requires the physical presence of the pharmacist in the pharmacy at all times