Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has been involved with a number of pharmacy issues recently, including promoting investment in frontline services, consultation surrounding the controversial generic tendering proposals as well as having chosen to defer his decision on professional regulation. However, while the Society's members preparing themselves for a long wait until the General Pharmaceutical Council is formed, NIPinF editor Laure James questioned the Minister over the seemingly endless unresolved matters involving pharmacy, facing his Department.

Back in May you branded the lengthy new pharmacy contract negotiations as 'unacceptable' insisting that significant progress needs to be made over the coming months. Has there been any evidence of this progress? And have the disagreements that caused earlier breakdowns in communication between the Department and the Pharmaceutical Contractors' Committee (PCC) now been resolved?

My officials met with representatives of the Pharmaceutical Contractors' Committee (PCC) in April to bring greater clarity to the issues which are of concern to them. A wide range of issues was discussed and officials agreed to put in writing answers to the specific PCC concerns. A departmental letter of reply was sent to PCC on the 7 May 2008.

This amongst other things asked for responses from PCC, but (at the time of going to print) PCC have not responded. Given the importance of community pharmacy, the excellent service it provides for patients and the potential it offers for improvements in patient care I am not prepared to let the current lack of progress in the contract negotiations obstruct developments any longer. I, along with my officials, am looking at ways to move the process forward to ensure patients get the services they deserve. I have offered to meet with PCC to discuss any concerns they may have.

It is hard for pharmacy in England and Wales to not be encouraged by the White Paper's recent publication although the English and Welsh pharmacy sectors are not as service driven as those in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The call for pharmacists across the UK to have a more varied role was subsequently met with criticism by contractors already under a significant amount of pressure and without the time or resources to meet any more demand. Do you think this is a fair argument?

Community pharmacy like a number of other healthcare providers have to look at the way they work and where appropriate make any changes in order to better meet patients needs. The new pharmacy contract will make use of the excellent skills and knowledge community pharmacists have and build upon these to ensure pharmacy remains at the heart of healthcare in the community. Patients want to access their services more readily.

They don't want to have to make appointments with their GP or other healthcare provider when they could get the same service at their local pharmacy. Under the new contract the treatment of minor ailments, the provision of repeat prescriptions and advice on medicines management are all areas where patients and community pharmacy can mutually benefit. I am very conscious that with this comes the need to have in place adequate resources but this can only be achieved through negotiation of the new contract.

I am committed to ensuring that both patients and community pharmacists have the opportunity to provide and benefit from these new services. We know that a significant number of community pharmacists want to develop their professional roles and this is an opportunity for them to do so.

If the new contract in Northern Ireland is set to make greater demands upon a pharmacistís time, will an HR strategy be designed to enable the profession to meet the increase in demand?

The new contract will be delivered in a manner that ensures that pharmacists and other pharmacy staff have the necessary resources, including time, to deliver the services offered. It is in no one's interest to offer services that cannot be provided to patients in a safe and effective manner. I am determined to work with the profession on this issue and discuss any concerns with them.

As I have said earlier the provision of healthcare is changing and community pharmacy needs to adapt to those changes. I will be working with them to achieve this. The Department has already carried out an important review of the pharmacy workforce and increased numbers of pharmacy students are in training. There is therefore the opportunity for contractors through the remuneration package to employ additional qualified staff.

Pharmacy is in great anticipation of the new contract and there are high expectations for new, correctly managed and adequately funded projects, particularly since successful pilots such as H pylori testing were pulled through a lack of fiscal support. Can we expect to see this as a key feature of the new contract?

The new contract will provide patients with the opportunity of using a number of new services. The development of health Promoting Pharmacies will be a key initiative. Contained within this will be services such as the provision of H pylori testing, Chlamydia testing, advice and help with obesity, sexual health, contraception and cancer awareness. This list is not exhaustive and can be extended as the service develops.

This however, can only happen within the context of a new contract and that is why the profession must enter into negotiations with the Department to deliver these services in a manner that benefits patients and recognises and rewards the efforts of pharmacy staff.

The consultation for your proposed Health and Social Care reforms closed last month. What do you see as the key outcomes of the reforms for pharmacy?

Firstly, pharmacists have a nominated place on Local Commissioning Groups (LCGís). This is significant in ensuring community pharmacy plays a formative role within the commissioning of HSC services.

Secondly, we see the opportunity for the pharmaceutical staff currently dispersed throughout several organisations to be brigaded in a more integrated way within our new structures and bringing together pharmacy and medicines management.

Finally, the increased focus on public health is important in the pharmacy domain in that community pharmacists have the greatest interface with the public than any other health care professional, and therefore the potential for a very significant public health role which I have already signalled earlier. It is important that our system is responsive to the needs of our population and delivers the services they expect. The five Local Commissioning Groups of the Regional Board will be central in working with local communities to identify and plan services to address their needs. The board will also work on my behalf in the drive for significant improvements in efficiency and performance.

Improving and protecting our health will also be a key aim of our new system and I have decided that a dedicated agency is the best way to drive this forward. The Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being will therefore work closely with local government to bring real improvements on the ground and tackle health inequalities.

A strong and independent voice to represent the views of patients, clients and carers is vital. A single Patient and Client Council, with its five area offices, will ensure that this voice is heard both regionally and locally.