Very rarely in community pharmacy does a new initiative make life easier for pharmacists, raise their professional standing and improve patient care all at the same time. In fact, I can’t think of anything since the introduction of computerised PMRs that has covered those three points as well as our recently-granted access to the summary care record.

Last month’s announcement from the HSCIC that pharmacies in England will be granted access to the SCR from the Autumn (see news, p4) is, quite simply, great news. Never again should you be in any doubt whether a patient is allergic to penicillin, as you dubiously hand over the amoxicillin prescribed by an on-call doctor, or exactly what they’ve been taking as you issue an out-of-hours emergency supply. Patients will be grateful they’ve been saved a trip to the surgery and respectful of your knowledge and power, your staff will love the time-saving and greater certainty, and GPs will … hopefully come to accept this step forward.

OK, so you won’t be able to make useful and constructive additions to the record. But first things first. The pharmacy bodies apparently detect a political willingness to move this forward and are already campaigning hard. What pharmacists must do in the meantime is show that they are using the read-only facility to improve patient care in a safe and effective manner.

Don’t forget that along with this greater power comes greater responsibility. If you issue penicillin to a sensitive patient you will no longer be able to claim ignorance of their allergy, for example. And lawyer Richard Hough serves a timely reminder of the increased legality around data protection (see page 14); the mere mention of a £500,000 fine should be enough to make you stop and think about the reality of this brave new clinical world you are entering.

More good news this month comes from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which declared its new headquarters open for business with a presidential reception at the end of June. These impressive, state-of-the-art offices reflect the outlook of a forward-thinking organisation with high ambitions. Members are welcome, so why not drop in for a free coffee and a browse around the library and museum?