The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has pledged to campaign for pharmacists to be able to dispense medicines in original packs.

Almost two thirds of respondents to an English Pharmacy Board (EPB) survey said snipping packs to supply the prescribed amount was a significant problem.

Nearly 4,000 pharmacists responded to the survey, which the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said gave it a “powerful mandate” to lobby the government on the issue.

The biggest problem raised by pharmacists with snipping packs was accessing and providing an additional patient information leaflet, cited by nine out of 10 respondents. Increased dispensing time and loss of patient confidence were also cited by the majority, and 78 per cent of pharmacists felt snipping was “unprofessional”.

Representatives from community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, primary care organisations and academia gathered last week to debate the issue.

The consensus was that community pharmacists should be able to dispense the most suitable original pack for a given prescription, where appropriate for patients, and be reimbursed accordingly, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society concluded from the debate.

This solution was the most popular solution in the survey, backed by 87 per cent of respondents. Seven in 10 backed an agreed, uniform monthly pack size and just less than half supported ensuring all prescriptions matched original packs.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society pledged to “work with the new EPB members on how it can use the powerful voice of its members and other stakeholders to influence the government to implement original pack dispensing”.