I signed up to go to the local CCG patient and public discussion; Putting Patients First. An opportunity for local people living in this CCG area to discuss health commissioning. Arrival and registration was very positive, just seeing the vast amount of name badges to struggle through to find mine, showed that patients, public and commissioners wanted to voice their opinion, plus hear what has been done, and also to see what plans the CCG have.
After settling down with coffee and a piece of cake, kindly given to us all by the host. The usual introductions around the table, my fingers crossed, hoping to see a fellow pharmacist. Just me representing pharmacy on this table.
As we sat down listening to the welcome speech, the clinical chair explaining the first year gone and then the chief operating officer laying out the five year strategy with a 2 year plan placed. It was disappointing not to see pharmacy within this delivery. Throughout the presentation it was mentioned their focus was to deliver health promotion, advice and preventative health. Several times my heart stopped in anticipation to hear the words ‘we will work with pharmacy’! This did not happen, even when it was mentioned that they are working to get a team out in the community to find the missing millions for target diseases. Aren’t pharmacy a team out there already. We deliver all this and could deliver much more! CCG, talk to me … I’m a pharmacist.
I raised this question to them… Pharmacists deliver self care everyday. We, on a daily basis, deliver health promotion, health education and support preventative care. So why aren’t we in your plan? How do we get pharmacy onto the CCG map!? … This lead to a standard reply ‘Yes, pharmacy is under utilised’ … I’m hearing that a lot!! UTILISE US!
As the Q&A continued it was left to me, an independent contractor, and an employed pharmacist on a neighbouring table, to raise the flag for pharmacy. This raised an anxiety in me when I realised … Where are the leaders?! … Where is the LPC?! … Where is the LPN?! … Who is advocating pharmacy for all contractors?! … Just me and this employed pharmacist! … Really!
It’s then I realised pharmacy will get nowhere in CCG land, simply because our leaders aren’t around to unite us and get us on the CCG map.
Once we started our ‘around the table’ discussions, it was very encouraging to hear the patients around the table saying to the CCG facilitator “My pharmacist knows me by name, has a consultation room, clearly Sunil wants to be involved, so why isn’t pharmacy involved? I am disappointed.”
Music to my ears … finally, someone, the most important ones, the patients want us. Pharmacists are working hard to engage with their patients. Patients and the public in the audience started advocating pharmacy. With the end of day discussion being how to utilise pharmacy … a core for communication, health promotion, education and preventative care.
Pharmacy was the buzz word at close of presentation … not bad for an independent contractor and an employed pharmacist to turn things around, from pharmacy not being on the map of local health, and ending up being who the patients voiced they wanted involved in their healthcare.
So … my question again … Where were the leaders?!
