Can pharmacists pick up the slack?

There has been a lot of talk in this blog stream about how to encourage patients to regularly take their medication and 'comply' with doctors orders.

By Alexandra Uprichard on Jun 16, 2009

There has been a lot of talk in this blog stream about how to encourage patients to regularly take their medication and 'comply' with doctors orders. Much of this conversation has led to a similar conclusion- that the pharmacist is perfectly placed to meet patient compliance issues at the front line.

However, a recent article from BBC Health has really made me question this opinion. In the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8101446.stm, we hear how pharmacists who dispense incorrect drugs face criminal sentences. This is the only part of the NHS where a healthcare employee is exposed to this risk. In addition to this, it would seem pharmacists are working longer hours and being paid a lot less than their GP counterparts. They are being asked to take on additional responsibilities and as many pharmacists attest, their role is often as much about managing a shop as it is about dispensing care, advise and drugs to their customers.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs on this topic, whenever I go into a pharmacist I am one of a long queue waiting for my prescription, the pharmacist seems literally run off his feet and it seems the last place on earth to receive pearls of wisdom about taking my medication.

Now with clear indications of the pressure on this sector should there be reform of the pharmacy system before the patient compliance issue is firmly placed in this area?