Pharmacist MP pitches NHS-owned PMR system to government
A pharmacist MP has taken a proposal for a new NHS-owned pharmacy patient medication record system to the government. The plan, named 'Project Bevan', is being put forward as an alternative to the current Spine Pharmacy Record. Sadik Al-Hassan says the existing system simply isn't ambitious enough.
What happened
Sadik Al-Hassan, the MP who practised as a pharmacist before entering parliament, has presented 'Project Bevan' to the Department of Health. The proposal calls for a new NHS-owned PMR system to replace the current SPR infrastructure.
Al-Hassan's core argument is that the SPR doesn't go far enough. Speaking to Chemist+Druggist, he described the current system as not "ambitious enough" — a pointed critique given that pharmacy digital infrastructure has long been a source of frustration for contractors and clinicians alike.
The name itself signals intent. 'Project Bevan' is a deliberate nod to the founding spirit of the NHS, invoking the idea of building something publicly owned and publicly accountable at the heart of medicines management.
Why it matters
The PMR is not a back-office detail. It sits at the centre of how pharmacies function day to day. Every dispensing decision, every medication history check, every interaction flag runs through it. If a pharmacist can't trust the data in the system, or if the system can't communicate properly with GP records, hospital discharge information, or repeat prescription workflows, patient safety takes the hit.
Right now, pharmacy IT is a patchwork. Community pharmacies use a mix of commercial PMR systems — from companies like Cegedim, Positive Solutions, and Rx Systems — that connect to NHS infrastructure through interfaces that aren't always clean or current. The SPR was meant to give a centralised view of dispensing history, but its critics argue it doesn't do enough to support clinical decision-making or joined-up care.
Al-Hassan's proposal shifts the framing. Instead of building on top of existing commercial platforms, Project Bevan would put the NHS in direct ownership of the system. The argument is that this gives the NHS greater control over data, interoperability, and future development — rather than depending on commercial contracts and supplier priorities.
For community pharmacy specifically, this matters because digital infrastructure shapes what services pharmacies can realistically deliver. Pharmacy First, for example, depends on pharmacists being able to access relevant patient history quickly and record consultations in a way GPs and other clinicians can see. A system that's fragmented or slow at that exchange creates friction. An NHS-owned system, if well built, could reduce that friction significantly.
The politics here are worth watching too. Al-Hassan is a practising pharmacist who understands the operational reality in a way most MPs don't. That gives his proposal a credibility in the Department of Health that a think-tank paper or a trade body submission might not carry. Whether that translates into actual government appetite to fund and build a new system is a different question — but the fact that he's getting meetings is meaningful.
There's also a broader debate this feeds into about NHS data and who should own it. Commercial PMR providers hold significant amounts of dispensing data. An NHS-owned system would, in principle, mean that data lives within the NHS estate — with implications for research, commissioning, and population health management. That's a much bigger policy question than pharmacy IT alone.
GPhC exam relevance
The GPhC Common Registration Assessment doesn't test you on specific government proposals or political developments. But the underlying themes here connect directly to things that do appear in the assessment.
Medication records and accurate documentation are examined. The assessment covers the pharmacist's responsibility to maintain accurate records, to check dispensing history, and to act on information in a patient's medication record. Understanding why PMR accuracy matters — and what can go wrong when it doesn't — is part of that clinical reasoning.
Interoperability and communication between healthcare professionals comes up too. The assessment reflects the reality that pharmacists work within a system. Referrals, escalations, and information sharing between pharmacy, GP, and secondary care are tested through clinical scenarios. Knowing that gaps in digital infrastructure can compromise that communication is background knowledge that sharpens your clinical thinking.
Professionalism and the pharmacist's role in systems also feature. GPhC standards expect registrants to engage with the systems they work within and to advocate for patient safety. A pharmacist MP using his professional knowledge to push for better NHS infrastructure is a concrete example of that principle in practice — even if the GPhC wouldn't frame it that way on an exam paper.
Finally, medicines governance and the management of dispensing records are assessed areas. Understanding the role of the SPR, and why questions about its limitations are being raised at a political level, gives you context for the governance frameworks you'll be expected to apply as a registrant.
What's next
The proposal is with the Department of Health. The next thing to watch is whether it gets any formal response — either through ministerial statements, NHS England commissioning work, or inclusion in any upcoming pharmacy strategy documents.
The government has signalled broader ambition for digital health infrastructure, including NHS app development and integrated care records. Whether Project Bevan fits within that agenda or competes with it will shape its prospects.
For pharmacy organisations, this is an opportunity. If Project Bevan gains traction, bodies like the NPA, PSNC (now the Pharmacy and Community Pharmacy England network), and the RPS will likely want to input on the design and governance of any new system. Their positions will be worth tracking.
For anyone in pharmacy training or early in their career, keep an eye on how NHS digital infrastructure develops. The systems you'll be working with in five years may look quite different from what's in place now, and understanding why changes are being pushed — and by whom — is part of being a well-informed registrant.
Source: Chemist+Druggist — https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/news/politics/pharmacist-mp-proposes-new-pmr-system-project-bevan-to-govt-M5AXTPVRC5CR5JO2JFT2W5P36A/