Government to consult on pharmacists switching meds during shortages

Community pharmacists will be able to supply an alternative strength or formulation against a prescription in response to medicine shortages under plans due to be put out to consultation.

A policy paper published by the government yesterday set out its plans for managing a ‘robust and resilient’ supply of medicines amid ongoing shortages.

Health minister Karin Smyth said the publication ‘marks the beginning of a new phase of work we have planned’ on medicine shortages and that ‘information guides’ for pharmacists, GPs and patients would be published later this summer.

As part of the paper, the government said it would consult on ‘flexibilities’ for community pharmacists faced with medicine supply issues.

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It recognised that, currently, pharmacists must supply the exact product, quantity, strength and formulation prescribed – excluding exceptions set out in original pack dispensing and serious shortage protocols (SSPs).

‘We will consult on enabling pharmacists working in a community pharmacy to have the flexibility to supply an alternative strength (and hence also quantity) or formulation against a prescription written by another prescriber, to improve patient access to medicines and improve patient experience,’ the paper said.

‘As part of this, we will need to give careful consideration to when this might be appropriate, to balance any risks to patient safety and the potential knock-on impact that could unintentionally lead to supply problems with other products.’

The government also pledged to consider options to ‘improve better reporting in supply issues’, recognising that not all suppliers report disruption in a timely manner.

This would include a consultation on how the government can ‘ensure the information provided by suppliers on shortages and discontinuations is sufficient to allow us to put timely measures in place to manage supply and mitigate the impact on patients’.

Health minister Ms Smyth added: ‘Our efforts to improve the management of medicines shortages and strengthen supply chain resilience are crucial to reinventing the NHS and enhancing patient care – from increasing access to shortage information at the point of prescribing, to the role of pharmacists, exploring where an alternative product could be supplied without needing to return to the prescriber.

‘I am incredibly grateful for the continuous dedication of everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes to get medicines to patients every day.

‘While we cannot avoid all supply issues, this government is committed to building on the important actions already underway across the system to minimise disruption for patients.’

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Enabling pharmacists to supply appropriate alternatives has long been called for from across the sector, with a recent survey from Community Pharmacy England finding that pharmacists are now spending ‘longer than ever’ managing supply issues.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) welcomed the government’s plans for consultation and stressed the move would ‘not only help ensure patients receive timely access to the medicines they need but would also ease workload pressures on health professionals’.

RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said: ‘This is a landmark moment for pharmacy and patient care.

‘We’ve long campaigned for pharmacists to be empowered to use their professional judgement in the face of medicine shortages, and we’re delighted to see the government take this important step.’

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She added: ‘Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals who are more than capable of making these decisions safely.

‘This change would help reduce delays for patients and free up valuable GP time, allowing the NHS to function more efficiently.’

Professor Anderson said she looked forward to engaging with the Department of Health and Social Care to ‘ensure the proposed measures are implemented effectively’.