More investment is needed in local pharmacy staff, according to Montgomeryshire's Member of the Senedd.
Russell George said made the call as part of a visit with Scotland's Shadow Health Minister, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, during a visit to Boot pharmacy in Newtown.
Mr George, who is Shadow Health Minister in the Senedd, also said he was committed to e-prescriptions to help modernise the system.
They were met by Boots pharmacist Peter Mitchinson, David Eaves, the area manager of Boots in Wales and by Judy Thomas, from Community Pharmacy Wales.
The trio welcomed the two members and gave them both a tour of the store and discussed the critical role that pharmacies in Newtown played during the pandemic in providing access to medicines and health advice and how community pharmacy is evolving.
According to Mr George the introduction of e-prescribing improves patient safety reducing errors in prescriptions. In England, it has been estimated that automating repeat prescriptions may save 2.7m hours of GP and practice time.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s 2021 Workforce Wellbeing Survey shows that nine out of 10 respondents were at high risk of burnout and 1-in-3 had considered leaving the profession altogether.
Commenting, Mr George MS said: “I’m delighted to have brought my Scottish counterpart to my constituency to show them the great work pharmacists do because since becoming Shadow Health Minister, it has been a privilege to learn about the crucial role pharmacies have played during the pandemic.
“Given we know the valuable roll they can play in delivering directly for patients and relieving pressures elsewhere in the NHS, pharmacists need much more support and investment from government, including significantly more training spots. I hope to see that soon after winning the unanimous support of the Senedd in our recent debate.”
Dr Gulhane MSP, who continues to work one day a week as an NHS GP, added: “Pharmacists supported the national rollout of the Covid vaccine, helping getting jabs in arms so the United Kingdom could get back to normal and move on from the pandemic.
“They also provide advice on how best to self-manage less severe conditions, a vital and convenient service on our high streets which reduces visits to GP surgeries at a time of intense pressure on the NHS.
“To ensure that pharmacists work well in each part of the UK and get what they need, it is great to be in Wales to meet colleagues and see how health services work here.
Judy Thomas from Community Pharmacy Wales said: “Community pharmacies have played a significant role in providing front line treatment during the pandemic and their role in delivering primary care continues to grow with the number of patients registered to a pharmacy for the Common Ailments Service doubling in the past 12 months.
“This visit comes at an exciting time for pharmacy with the expansion of Clinical Services with the launch of the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework leading to more patients gaining access to the treatments they require and pharmacies becoming even bigger fixtures of local communities here in Wales.”