The community pharmacy information standard has been expanded so community pharmacists and GPs can better support integrated care.

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has extended its community pharmacy information standard in line with the expanded role of community pharmacists which has taken place over the last few years.

NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned the PRSB to update its original pharmacy standards to reflect the growing range of services being offered by community pharmacies

The latest updates which were published in April 2021 include:

  • Services to quit smoking
  • Hypertension testing in the community
  • Contraception services
  • Hepatitis C testing
  • Sore throat support
  • Palliative care services.

Vaughan Lewis, south east regional medical director of NHS England and NHS Improvement, said: “Following the success of digital flu vaccination notifications, we welcome these new updates to the PRSB pharmacy standard.

“Secure, digitised information sharing between systems is an integral part of delivering high quality, connected care in the community and we look forward to seeing the benefits to patients with both long-term conditions and acute episodes of care that can be safely and effectively managed in local pharmacies.”

The original community pharmacy standard was published in 2018 and updated in January 2021. The original included a number of services including vaccine administration and discharge from hospital to pharmacy services.

Professor Claire Anderson, chair of Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, added: “Pharmacies are a vital part of community care and the standards will support integrated care across systems as pharmacists expand their clinical role.

“At last, information from discussions with patients and interventions made by pharmacists can be shared with GPs and other care professionals, so everyone involved in their care has a full picture of their health. This will definitely help demonstrate the value that pharmacists bring to a person’s care.”

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