Employing clinical pharmacists in GP practices

Having a clinical pharmacist on the team can ease workload, reduce waiting times and improve effectiveness. In England, all GP practices in primary care networks can access funding to employ pharmacists.

By employing clinical pharmacists, many practices have been able to:

reduce waiting times for appointments
increase access to healthcare
improve screenings and diagnosis of chronic and common ailments
reduce A&E admissions
reduce the wastage and overuse of medicines.
save GP locum costs.

A clinical pharmacist's responsibilities

The below lists some ways which clinical pharmacists can help in your practice.

Clinical services

Working with GPs and patients to address medicine adherence.
Reviewing patients on complex medicine regimens.
Triaging and managing common ailments.
Responding to acute medicine requests.
Managing and prescribing for long-term conditions (often with the practice nurse).
Holding minor ailment clinics.

Prescription management

Dealing with medication for patients recently discharged from hospital.
Helping the practice deliver on the QIPP and QOF agenda and enhanced services.
Delivering repeat prescription reviews.
Being the point of contact for all medicine-related queries
Overseeing the practice’s repeat prescription policy.
Taking over clinical medicines reviews from GPs.
Audit and education.
Medicines management.
In dispensing practices, pharmacists can take responsibility for the business management of the dispensary.

How to hire a clinical pharmacist

The Primary Care Pharmacists Association’s guide for GPs considering employing a pharmacist includes a summary of what pharmacists can do, advice on the different methods of recruitment, sample job adverts and sample job descriptions.

Practices can employ pharmacists through, for example:

direct employment
locum hire
contract from a CCG (clinical commissioning group), CSU (commissioning support unit) or a private provider.

We have produced a template agreement which can be adapted to suit your needs. Any practices and providers using it must take their own independent legal advice before it is signed.

Clinical pharmacists and PCNs

Case study

Tamar Valley Health, a practice in Cornwall, employs two primary care pharmacists.

What the pharmacists do

‘The pharmacists’ job description has evolved over time: initially all the prescription queries were handled by them which freed up a good deal of GPs’ time. Both pharmacists have completed the independent prescribing course (supported by the practice), so are able to prescribe in areas in which they are competent. This qualification enhances the scope of a practice pharmacist and increases their job satisfaction.

Working together

How much it costs

‘The cost of employing a primary care pharmacist is between £35k and £45k per annum. However, the savings delivered as a result of their expertise have been beyond that. For example, part of the pharmacists’ role is to run the dispensary more efficiently. Changes that have been implemented have enhanced income and produced savings for the business totalling tens of thousands of pounds per annum.’

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