Pharmacy bodies have published their responses to NHS England’s consultation on ‘Developing a Long Term Plan for the NHS’, focusing on the need to utilise the pharmacy workforce to support patient care.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said that pharmacy-based health checks should be prioritised for development and that more screening, diagnostic capacity and on-going monitoring services in pharmacies would help improve outcomes in relation to cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and cancer – three of the clinical priorities identified by NHS England.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) agreed, emphasising that embedding medicines optimisation throughout the health and care system, ensuring pharmacists in all settings are involved in developing local NHS leadership and investing in foundation training to enhance post-registration professional development should all be implemented.