Pharmacists' role in improving diabetes care

A recent Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) policy document stated:

‘Pharmacists can play an increasing role in the prevention, early detection, care and support of people with type 2 diabetes’ (RPS, 2019).

In the policy's foreword, Professor Mahendra G Patel – National Diabetes Campaign Lead and RPS Treasurer – noted that more than 5 million people in the UK will have type 2 diabetes by 2025, with thousands of those people with diabetes experiencing avoidable medication errors. This occurs, explained Professor Patel, against a shifting health landscape in which, for example, the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS, 2019) recognises how clinically skilled pharmacists can support patients and reduce medication errors.

‘The recent establishment of new Primary Care Networks and the growing maturity of local Integrated Care Systems, provide unparalleled opportunities for people to receive better access to their pharmacists, more personalised support, and joined-up care at the right time in the optimal care setting.’