What every Belgian pharmacist should know about reimbursed services in 2025
Unlock the strategic potential of reimbursed pharmaceutical services in Belgium. This post offers context and guidance to proactively boost revenue,...
What the future holds for community pharmacists
Discover the key changes outlined in the PGEU's Pharmacy 2030 vision and what they mean for the future role of community pharmacists in Europe.
The Salvus Health Team
Jun 19, 2025
INDEX |
Community pharmacies across Europe are at a turning point. The traditional image of a pharmacist dispensing medications behind a counter is evolving rapidly. By 2030, your daily responsibilities and role will look quite different.
This isn't speculation. It's the carefully charted course from the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU). Their "Pharmacy 2030" vision is clear: pharmacists will become indispensable clinical partners in prevention, comprehensive care, and digital health.
Why the change? An aging population, rising chronic diseases, healthcare efficiency demands, and rapid digital advancement are driving this transformation.
The question is: what does this mean for your practice? How can you thrive in this new landscape?
What is the PGEU pharmacy 2030 vision?
"Pharmacy 2030" isn't theoretical, it's a strategic vision guiding community pharmacists to meet Europe's changing health needs. This vision emphasizes proactive, patient-first care, leveraging the unique accessibility and trust of community pharmacies.
Community pharmacists will take stronger, integrated roles in:
- Preventive care: Health screenings, immunizations, and personalized lifestyle advice
- Chronic disease management: Ongoing support for diabetes, asthma, hypertension patients
- Public health education: Leading health campaigns and medication adherence programs
- Team-based primary care: Collaborating with GPs, nurses, and specialists
- Digital health integration: Using technology to enhance care delivery and patient communication
The paradigm shift is clear: from product-focused (dispensing) to patient-focused (comprehensive healthcare partner)
Key changes coming your way
1. The new norm of expanded clinical services
Expect to spend significantly more time on structured, reimbursed clinical services:
- Medication Reviews: Comprehensive assessments identifying drug interactions, side effects, and optimization opportunities
- Adherence Programs: Strategies helping patients take medications correctly through education and reminder systems
- Vaccinations: Convenient administration of flu, COVID-19, and other vaccines
- Chronic Disease Coaching: Supporting diabetes management, asthma and COPD care
In Belgium, INAMI / RIZIV reimbursements already support these pharmaceutical care services, proving governmental recognition of this expanded role.
Discover more about it thanks to our complete free guide on reimbursed services in Belgian pharmacies (link).
2. Connecting care thanks to the pharmacy's digital hub
Pharmacies will function as vital digital health connectors:
- eHealth integration: Connecting with electronic health records and e-prescribing systems
- Data-driven personalization: Using patient data to identify trends and personalize interventions
- Service management tools: Digital appointment scheduling and patient follow-up systems
- Telepharmacy: Remote consultations and monitoring for chronic conditions
- Patient portals: Secure online access to medication history and pharmacy communication
The challenge isn't just adopting technology; it's integrating it meaningfully while ensuring privacy and security.
3. Team-based and collaborative care
Pharmacists will work closely with other healthcare providers:
- Shared care plans: Contributing to holistic patient health views
- Formalized referral protocols: Clear pathways between different providers
- Integrated care pathways: Defined roles in chronic disease management
- Interprofessional communication: Regular discussions and joint decision-making
This collaborative model requires mutual respect and clear communication channels.
4. Focus on prevention
Pharmacies are uniquely positioned to champion preventive health:
- Targeted Lifestyle Advice: Evidence-based nutrition, exercise, and smoking cessation guidance
- Expanded Vaccination Services: Key providers of routine and campaign immunizations
- Early Detection Screening: Accessible screening for hypertension, diabetes, and other conditions
- Public Health Campaigns: Leading local health initiatives
Prevention is smart clinical care and demonstrates profound community value.
5. Tailoring care for personalized and patient-centered services
Moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches:
- Clinical personalization: Considering pharmacogenomic data and patient-specific factors
- Relational care: Building trust-based relationships through active listening and shared decision-making
- Cultural competency: Respecting diverse health beliefs and practices
- Health literacy support: Ensuring clear, understandable information
This patient-centered approach improves engagement, satisfaction, and health outcomes. Together, these changes reflect the four strategic pillars of the Pharmacy 2030 vision; which are quality care, public health, equitable access, and sustainability, and set the stage for transforming your practice in a structured, measurable way.
What it means for your pharmacy
The PGEU message is clear: community pharmacy's future is more clinical, digital, and integrated. This isn't a threat, it's a huge opportunity to elevate your role and create sustainable, impactful practices.
To thrive, adapt in three strategic ways:
Proactively shift your mindset from reactive to proactive
Don't wait for patients to ask about services. Actively identify their needs based on medication history, age, or conditions. Guide them toward beneficial interventions. This requires a cultural shift empowering your entire team to think preventively.
Rethink your workflow and environment
Clinical services can't be ad-hoc additions to dispensing duties. You need:
- Structured processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Dedicated time slots for clinical services
- Reconfigured spaces (private consultation rooms)
- Task delegation to pharmacy technicians
Invest in your team and in technology
Success requires continuous learning and technological enablement:
Invest in your team
- Training in clinical areas and disease state management
- Communication skills development
- Digital tool proficiency
Invest in your technologies
- Pharmacy management systems supporting clinical documentation
- Patient communication platforms
- Diagnostic tools and service management software
Leading Belgian pharmacies are already differentiating themselves this way, building resilient, patient-focused practices.
Platforms like Salvus Health are built to support this transition, from digitizing services delivery to enabling structured follow-up and team coordination.
From vision to strategy
Pharmacy 2030 isn't a rigid checklist; it's a call to innovate and lead. Your success depends on translating this vision into actionable strategies tailored to your patients, team strengths, and community characteristics.
Whether you're exploring new clinical services or scaling existing offerings, you need a clear roadmap. This involves assessing current capabilities, identifying opportunities, setting realistic goals, and outlining achievement steps.
To help you with your own Pharmacy 2030 vision, we have created a self-assessment table.
| Questions | Explanations | Your answer | Next steps |
| Pillar 1: Delivering high-quality, personalized, and safe care | |||
| 1) Do you proactively offer clinical services beyond dispensing medications? |
As explained in this guide, pharmacies can now offer more and more services, fully reimbursed or not. This is considered to be the future of community pharmacies. |
Yes / No |
Read the guide to see your possible next steps |
|
2) Have you designated a private consultation area for patient services? |
Necessary for patients to feel safe talking with you; an important step for having growing trust in you. |
Yes / No | |
|
3) Are your staff trained in patient communication and clinical service delivery? |
Having the necessary training (vaccination…), but also being on point with inclusive communication techniques |
Yes / No | |
|
4) Do you measure outcomes for services provided? |
Following up patients after providing a service, to see if it has the desired outcome for both parties |
Yes / No | |
| Pillar 2: Advancing Public Health through community management | |||
|
1) Do you participate in Public Health campaigns (Flu vaccination periods, etc…)? |
It enables the campaigns to have a bigger impact and the community you are in to improve its health |
Yes / No |
Read the guide to see your possible next steps |
|
2) Have you partnered with local health organizations or community groups? |
Sharing information and knowledge on the same conditions, or get together about a specific patient |
Yes / No | |
|
3) Is your pharmacy easily respondent to public health threats? |
Being able to adapt easily to urgencies and new situations by having flexibility at work and a good working environment |
Yes / No | |
| Pillar 3: Ensuring equitable access to medicines and pharmacy services | |||
|
1) Can patients access your services through digital tools (online bookings & consultations)? |
Important step, so people have different possibilities when wanting to interact with you |
Yes / No |
Read the guide to see your possible next steps |
|
2) Is your pharmacy accessible thanks to multilingual supports and accessibility tools? |
Belgium is a multilingual country, and people can sometimes speak neither of the three national languages. You can adapt to your community when knowing it fully, but also be ready with at least an English version |
Yes / No | |
|
3) Do you follow up all patients about medication adherence or health outcomes? |
Meaning everybody has access to equal information and care related to their conditions. |
Yes / No | |
|
4) Do you offer custom-made medicines products in your pharmacy? |
Bodies and needs are different for everybody, and are also changing. Some treatments need adapting the doses (Benzo) |
Yes / No | |
|
5) Do you think about various health literacy when preparing documents aimed towards the patients? |
Nobody is equal when faced with health knowledge. For some people, an information might seem basic and useless to get, while for others it is paramount for a good medication adherence. |
Yes / No | |
| Pillar 4: Supporting a sustainable and resilient healthcare system | |||
|
1) Do you use any sort of automation (stock management, vaccination campaigns…)? |
It enables you to gain time, and focus more on your relationship with your patients and healthcare |
Yes / No |
Read the guide to see your possible next steps |
|
2) Is your pharmacy digitally integrated? |
Allows a good interoperability with other professionals, data-driven decision-making, and health oversights |
Yes / No | |
|
3) Do you diversify your source of revenue and service offering? |
This makes you not rely on a specific source, and being like a Swiss knife for your patients, who will think of you directly when needing something. |
Yes / No | |
|
4) Do you adapt your service offering based on the community you find yourself in? |
By knowing perfectly your community, you can adapt and give an optimized version of the services and product offerings (are people young and sportive, or older?) |
Yes / No | |
Conclusion
Pharmacy 2030 isn't distant; it's reshaping the landscape now. These changes aren't just desirable; they're essential for community pharmacy's continued relevance and vitality.
With proper preparation, mindset, and strategic investments, this evolution offers an unparalleled chance to:
- Elevate your professional role
- Diversify and increase revenue streams
- Solidify your position as an indispensable healthcare provider
Your patients expect more accessible, personnalized care. Your profession is moving decisevely toward a clinical, digitally connected future. Now is the time to lead that change.
Download our free guide, Your route to Pharmacy 2030, and start translating vision into action, one strategic pillar at a time.