NHS Lanarkshire has received Scottish government funding to test a new model of primary care.
The £4.5 million project will see test sites in East Kilbride and Coatbridge bring together a range of health professionals in GP surgeries – such as practice nurses, district nurses, mental health professionals, pharmacists, allied health professionals, as well as third sector workers – to help manage patient care. The pilot specifically also includes a pharmacy-focused test being developed in Coatbridge.
The aim is for patients to get the right service as quickly as possible, with more same-day services, and developing urgent care 24/7 services. These will be provided through face-to-face meetings, telephone consultations or web services.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said, ‘The Lanarkshire test sites are at the forefront of the transformation – helping patients see the right person at the right time. Bringing together a wide range of health professionals on one site.’
Aileen Bryson, Head of Policy & Practice at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Scotland, said, ‘The funding for specific pilots that include pharmacists is very encouraging. We have been lobbying for pharmacists to be included in the multidisciplinary team since our response to the Wilson and Barber Review in 2012 and we recommended this again in our briefing to MSPs ahead of their debate last year on Redesigning primary care for Scotland.
‘The specific pharmacy-focused test in Coatbridge is a welcome initiative as we believe this will help enable decision makers to fully consider how we make better use of the expertise and accessibility available in Scotland’s community pharmacy network.
‘Community pharmacies across Scotland remain one of the most accessible NHS services for the public and patients and fully including them in our transformed primary care teams will benefit patients but also relieve pressures on GPs, out-of-hours services and A&E departments.’
Source: www.rpharms.com
