The creation of an integrated digital patient record fully accessible to pharmacists continues to top the list of the profession’s priorities ahead of next May’s Scottish parliament election.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland says in its newly launched election manifesto that 88% of surveyed community pharmacists have limited access to patient records, despite 95% believing this is important.

RPS Scotland has been campaigning on expanding their restricted access to their patients’ records for years.

It is now calling on the next Scottish government to prioritise the delivery of a fully integrated healthcare record, which pharmacists can read and contribute to, by 2026.

The organisation says this will strengthen community pharmacy’s primary care offering for patients, while increasing safety and capacity of pharmacists and other primary care professionals.

Director of RPS Scotland, Laura Wilson, said:

“Access to patient records for community pharmacists is a key enabler within our vision for the future of pharmacy, which will improve patient care, experience and safety. This will become even more important in 2026 when all pharmacists qualify as prescribers.

“This record must have read and write access so that pharmacists, GPs and other healthcare professionals can leave a record of their interventions visible to all, reducing the risk of duplication of treatment and ensuring patients only have to tell their story once

“We also need to ensure that this record can be accessed by every pharmacy and pharmacist, no matter which technological system they use. I look forward to working with Scottish government to ensure this.”

Public health minister Jenni Minto and Scottish Labour and Scottish Conservative health spokespersons told a pharmacy conference earlier this year they fully support pharmacists having full access to patient records. 

The Scottish government has long committed to develop an electronic integrated health and social care record, and proposals for this were passed by MSPs in June.

RPS Scotland is also calling for improved national pharmacy workforce planning, including dedicated time for learning and development, and a more sustainable approach to medicines’ prescribing and waste.

Delivering on these key areas will improve safe and effective delivery of care and help take steps towards NHS Scotland’s net zero ambitions, according to the organisation.

RPS Scotland joined forces with Scotland’s GPs in 2023 in a pledge to transition to greener medicines prescribing to tackle climate change.

Now, it is seeking support from political parties and Scottish election candidates to commit to its asks over the next five years.

RPS Scotland Director Laura Wilson told healthandcare.scot that with medicines accounting for 25% of NHS carbon emissions, strategies to reduce these emissions must be delivered:

“It’s hugely important that everyone who has a stake in making medicines more environmentally sustainable, from manufacturers to pharmacists and patients, play their part to ensure that we can tackle this challenge together.

“Our manifesto makes clear that it is now Scottish government’s responsibility to ensure there is funding in place to shift the dial on sustainable prescribing to make this practice a reality across Scotland.

“I look forward to engaging with politicians from across the parliament, and political candidates, to ensure these asks become a reality.”

Read more: Report spotlights drug shortage crisis; Chief Medical Officer: ‘Critical connections' priority; Call for government to prioritise heart health; NHS Scotland: waiting lists and beyond; ‘Unprecedented’ crisis in community healthcare; Researchers: policy needed for patient ‘missingness'; Unmet need in Scotland’s drug crisis revealed; GPs in ‘moral distress' over drug shortage crisis; Scotland to work with UK on Physician Associate reform 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.