Community pharmacy: moving from dispensing to diagnosis and treatment

Deregulation and changes to the NHS community pharmacy contract in England and Wales have allowed for the shift of clinical services from NHS primary care to the for profit community pharmacy sector.

In 2005 the UK government implemented reforms to the organisation and delivery of community pharmacy services and the rules governing market entry in England.1 2 The government argues that expanding the range of services provided by community pharmacies will increase access and patient choice, reduce general practitioner workload, and lower costs to the NHS.3 Whereas the 2003 Health and Social Care Act enabled primary care organisations to contract with the private sector for the provision of primary care services,4 the 2005 NHS (pharmaceuticals services) regulations allow community pharmacies in England and Wales to provide a new range of services to the NHS, some of which were once the reserve of general practitioners.