Pharmacy leaders urge action on medicine hold-ups

Pharmacy leaders have called for action to prevent hold-ups which can occur when medicines are out of stock.

Pharmacists do not currently have the power to alter a prescription.

For instance, pharmacists are prohibited from supplying tablets rather than capsules, or two 10mg tablets in place of one 20mg tablet.

This can leave patients travelling from pharmacy to pharmacy to get their prescription, or having to go back to the GP to get a new prescription to match the medication available in a pharmacy.

In some cases, it can leave patients waiting for weeks for their prescription, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said.

It said that out of date legislation prohibiting pharmacists from supplying a suitable alternative for patients.

The organisation is calling on the Government to change the laws, which have been in place since 1968, to allow pharmacists to make substitutions where a medicine is not in stock, but a safe alternative is.

In August, the Government pledges to consult on enabling community pharmacists to have the flexibility to supply an alternative strength, or quantity, against a prescription written by another prescriber.

The NPA said that the current situation is posing a risk to patient safety, as patients with serious health issues are facing unnecessary delays for vital medicines.

In some cases, patients have been forced to wait up to three weeks, it added.

A poll conducted by the NPA on 400 pharmacists found that 97% said their patients had been forced to wait at least a day when the pharmacist had to request a new prescription from the prescriber – in the community this will usually be a GP or a practice nurse.

And 95% reported that some patients went without medication when being referred back to their prescriber, despite a pharmacy having a safe alternative in stock that they were prevented from dispensing.

One pharmacist reported their patients waiting more than a week for a medication for bipolar and schizophrenia.

Another described how an eight-year-old with a water infection was forced to visit A&E due to a certain formulation of antibiotic being out of stock, despite the pharmacist having a different formulation available.

Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Pharmacists are highly trained medicines experts who already advise GPs on clinically suitable alternative medicines that is available in their pharmacy.

“The current status quo is not only frustrating for patients, it is also dangerous.

“It is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed when a safe alternative is in stock.

“It risks a patient either delaying taking vital medication or forgoing it altogether, which poses a clear risk to patient safety.

“A lot has changed in 60 years. Medicine shortages are now becoming common place and pharmacists are delivering more clinical care than ever before.

“We urgently need amended legislation, allowing pharmacists the flexibility to make safe prescription substitutions, where appropriate, when a medicine is unavailable.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know how frustrating and distressing medicine supply issues can be for both patients and pharmacists.

“Pharmacists play a vital role in shifting care out of hospitals and into the community, and the Government will soon consult on proposals to give them more power and flexibility to supply alternatives where it is safe and appropriate to do so.”