More hospital pharmacists are needed for a seven-day NHS

摘要

The staffing of most hospitals in Scotland with pharmacists is insufficient to roll out seven-day NHS services while maintaining safe and effective care, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has warned. Hospitals need additional pharmacists to fill current gaps in clinical care on weekends and require more resources if they are to fulfil ministers' vision of seven-day working, RPS Scotland says. However, the Scottish government has already stated there will be no new funding for the initiative. Instead, health boards will be challenged to fund the expansion of services from within existing budgets. The Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish parliament will hold an evidence session on the initiative on 17 March 2015. In a submission ahead of the session, the RPS said: "There is a clinical gap in pharmacy input at weekends which cannot be managed within current resources and staffing levels.