SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, expresses concern over the impact of medicine shortages on patient care.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister recently joined fellow members in the Senedd at an event organised by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to discuss their report ‘Medicines shortages: Solutions for empty shelves’.
He said: “I was pleased to be able to meet with representatives from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and discuss the report with Alwyn Fortune, Policy Lead RPS Wales.
“It was very concerning to hear about the impact of medicine shortages and how there is growing concern on the affect this will have on patient care in the UK and around the world.
“It clearly is a problem and I fully support the aims of the report which calls for more to be done to address the issue and ensure that this does not put added pressure on our already struggling NHS.”
The new report Medicines shortages: Solutions for empty shelves was launched at the House of Commons last month, followed by briefing events in Scotland and then in the Senedd.
The report from RPS provides a comprehensive assessment of what is causing medicines shortages, their impact on patients, pharmacists and healthcare professionals, and what more can be done to mitigate and manage medicines shortages.
While national systems have historically mitigated the impact shortages have had on patients, mounting pressures mean that further action is needed. Shortages are increasingly affecting patient care and healthcare teams, underscoring the need to invest in and strengthen the systems in place.
The increasing burden of medicines shortages places significant pressure on healthcare professionals, especially pharmacy teams, leading to higher workloads, strained professional relationships and mental health concerns.
Medicines shortages affect other areas of the health and social care workforce, with prescribers needing to see patients multiple times, referred to them for alternative prescriptions when their regular medicines are not in stock. In hospitals, specialists see patients who cannot be treated in primary care because medicines are unavailable or in short supply.
