A report by the National Assembly for Wales has called on the NHS to make better use of pharmacists’ expertise to tackle prescription drug dependence.

Ten recommendations were made in the report by the Assembly’s petitions committee, including persuading the Welsh government to look into the possibility of a national service based on the prescribed medication support service to help people with drug dependence.

The recommendations also included a stronger focus on the skills and expertise of pharmacists to support evidence-based prescribing and patient monitoring, including regular patient reviews.

The report urged the Welsh government to make clear that antidepressants should not be routinely prescribed for mild depression in its guidance to healthcare professionals.

Welcoming the report’s call for a better use of pharmacists’ expertise, Mair Davies, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s director for Wales, said: “We have been concerned about the growing problem of dependency from prescribed medications for some time and fully support the publication of the petitions committee report calling for better use of pharmacists in the withdrawal of medicines when dependency is a problem.

“This report should take us a step closer to tackling issues of medication dependency in Wales.

“We look forward to hearing the Minister for Health’s response to the recommendations in due course and supporting the Welsh government in the development of any future plans to increase patient safety and improve the lives of Welsh patients in this important area.”

Picture: DNY59 (iStock)