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Better access to patient information for Choose Pharmacy

2 July 2021

Community pharmacists in Wales are to be given increased access to patients’ GP medical records as part of the Choose Pharmacy service, to help them care for more people with minor illnesses.

A new agreement between GPC Wales and Digital Health and Care Wales means pharmacists will have access to a patient’s GP record, with their consent, to support safe and effective decision-making.

Community pharmacists across Wales are already able to use the Choose Pharmacy service to access the patient’s GP record to support some aspects of care, such as for emergency medication prescriptions or for use by pharmacists who are also Independent Prescribers. Choose Pharmacy is also used Choose Pharmacy to record consultations, share information with relevant healthcare professionals, and generate claims for payment. 

Approval from GPC Wales now means Choose Pharmacy can be developed to include WGPR access in all current and future modules with WGPR access restricted to appropriately accredited community pharmacy users.

With many pharmacies offering a growing number of NHS services, access for qualified pharmacists to the patient’s medical record is needed to ensure safe and effective care.

Welcoming the agreement Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Welsh Government said:

“The agreement between GPC Wales and Digital Health and Care Wales represents a significant step forward in access to the information pharmacists working in the community need to provide the highest standards of pharmaceutical care. 

“Wider access to the Welsh GP record for community pharmacy recognises the increasingly clinical contribution that community pharmacists can make in improving the health of citizens in Wales.”