The Centre for Public Scrutiny and the National Pharmacy Association has produced a document to help Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) review the local provision of community pharmacy services.

The guide is designed to help health OSCs to develop a range of high-level questions around the provision of community pharmacy services.

Questions that OSCs are advised to consider include:

• How is the PCT maximising the contribution of community pharmacy to meeting national policy and priorities?
• How is the PCT integrating community pharmacy into the NHS through effective commissioning, including practice based commissioning?
• Does the PCT have a strategy for community pharmacy?
• Is the viability of the community pharmacy network being undermined?

Gareth Jones, NPA NHS Liaison Manager said: “PCTs are open to being challenged on their ability to exploit the full potential of the community pharmacy network to improve health and well-being. These ten questions will help OSCs highlight areas where a PCT may need to think again about commissioning pharmacy services.”

The document entitled “10 questions to ask if you’re scrutinising community pharmacy” can be downloaded from the Centre for Public Scrutiny’s website www.cfps.org.uk and the NHS Service Development section of the NPA’s website www.npa.co.uk/infopub.php.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Health scrutiny committees have powers to summon officers of health trusts to committee meetings, to require information from NHS bodies on the planning and provision of health services, and must be consulted by health trusts about significant changes to service provision. They can initiate their own reviews of any topic that affects the health and well-being of local residents. They can also refer contested NHS proposals to the Secretary of State on the grounds of either process or merit. NHS bodies are under a duty to respond to committee reports and recommendations, but are not bound to accept recommendations.