Interview: New APPG chair on his ‘dream for pharmacy’

When community pharmacist and Labour MP for North Somerset, Sadik Al-Hassan, was elected as the new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy, a cross-party interest group formed to encourage conversations about the biggest challenges for pharmacy, he said he wanted to be the ‘voice of the sector’ in parliament. The Pharmacist’s Emily Warner sat down with Mr Al-Hassan to discover how he hopes to achieve this and what his vision for pharmacy involves.

Emily Warner (EW): Can you summarise what the APPG on pharmacy does?

Sadik Al-Hassan (SA): APPGs tend to be bodies that are filled with MPs interested in a subject or interested in furthering their knowledge about a subject.

The APPG on pharmacy’s job is to advocate for pharmacy but also make sure that we investigate problems and come up with potential solutions. I’m incredibly honoured to have been selected as chair to take over from Steve Race who did a fantastic job. And I will try and lead the APPG forward in a way that presents a solution to some of the problems pharmacy faces.

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EW: What are you hoping to achieve within this role?

SA: For me, one of the best outcomes I could have is to build a roadmap for what pharmacy looks like in 2035. That is on my notice board, and it is something that is vital for pharmacy because for my entire career, pharmacy has felt very 'done to'. We haven’t ever really felt in control of our future, our destiny, or the changes and transitions that were occurring.

As chair of the APPG, I want to use that leadership role to bring pharmacy stakeholders together and to write that vision of what it looks like to be a pharmacist in 2035. What does the patient experience look like? What is it like for a technician? What is it like for a healthcare assistant? These are all questions that we need to answer, or somebody else will answer them for us.

EW: What are the main priorities to achieve that vision of pharmacy in 2035?

SA: Pharmacy as a profession – for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, healthcare assistants – needs to be a fulfilling role. We need to make sure that the vision we create for the future is one where those working in it feel rewarded and empowered to work at the top of their profession. There is a perfectly possible future for pharmacy, especially community pharmacy, where we actually drive engagement and employee satisfaction – that is possible if we get the vision right.

This also needs to fully integrate pharmacy into the healthcare landscape. For too long community pharmacists have been outliers, seen as shopkeepers, privateers, people who make profit out of the NHS as opposed to the vital front door to healthcare that we are. That is one of the reasons why we saw the transition of many pharmacists from community pharmacy into GP surgeries – they were looking for a place to be valued and to use their skills. We need a revolution to change what pharmacy is and what it can be.

The community pharmacy roles that we’ve created make it less of an engaged landscape. Pharmacy First has been a great help with that, but we still haven’t got it right and it’s important to have workforce representation.

That’s why I’m really buoyed by seeing unified voices starting to form in pharmacy. I’ve long encouraged the sector to get their act together, because only together is our voice strong enough to deliver the change we need.

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EW: In light of that vision, do you have any concerns about the 10-year plan, or do you feel quite optimistic about it?

SA: The 10-year plan is a great vision document. What comes next is the framework. How are those things going to be delivered? That is where pharmacy has a great opportunity, if we can get our act together and influence what that looks like.

My dream for pharmacy – and it could be a fever dream – is one where we look at what pharmacy does now, what we’re good at, and make sure we are being used to our full ability. And at the same time, release capacity in other parts of the NHS.

For example, I have always seen prescribing as a point of professional pride for pharmacists. We’re literally experts in prescribing. It’s our job to check GPs’ homework and we’re the barrier to harm from prescribing. If I could pick, I would move prescribing from general practice into pharmacy, while keeping diagnosis in general practice, and give GPs more time to invest in their patients’ care.

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So, a patient suffering from a condition would first attend the GP and get a diagnosis. That diagnosis would be transferred to the pharmacy where a pharmacist would select the appropriate medicines for the patient based on their condition and health record. Then they would dispense the medicine, and they could also give the patient advice about it or book a follow up to make sure it is going well. At the same time, the GP may want to investigate the potential for preventative actions to help the patient longer term and make sure they have the appropriate interventions.

EW: Does the APPG on pharmacy have a role in pharmacy contract negotiations?

SA: As an MP, it would definitely be within my power to draw attention to the funding shortfall facing pharmacy and make reports and suggestions, but I also have to think about the wider affordability as a member of the government. The actual negotiations are all done by Community Pharmacy England (CPE).