Primary Care Pharmacists – a new breed for new times?

Posted by jchoules

25 January 2016

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We all know – or at least, GPs working at the sharp end of primary care are acutely aware – of the pressures which general practice/primary care is presently facing. The RCGP has done a good job in raising the profile of the present issues facing the workforce, and authoritative bodies like the Centre for Workforce Intelligence have identified major demand/supply issues facing primary care.

Part of the solution to the present issues may be to look at the skill mix represented in the workforce. Pharmacists are important clinical colleagues with a substantial understanding of medication, medication regimes, and the sciences of pharmacology and therapeutics. But their undergraduate training extends wider, to encompass core clinical training. Many of these colleagues deal with clinical encounters on a day-to-day basis “over the counter”.

Pharmacists may help contribute to some new, emerging models of care with integrated service provision and extended roles. Practical issues exist, such as the indemnity of pharmacists providing clinical advice in primary care settings, and the need for focused clinical training for pharmacists wishing to operate in front-end primary care settings.

APEx is hosting a new training course offering some clinical training and continuing professional development for pharmacists. The course, supported by Health Education England (South West), was oversubscribed, and we are looking forward to welcoming 16 pharmacists, each of whom have a clear sense of the new opportunities existing in primary care. Our course starts on 9 February. Laura Sims and Mark Healey – a GP and a pharmacist respectively – have been helping develop the opportunity and we are ready to go.

Watch this space – this is an exciting new initiative which we hope will extend and enthuse these pharmacy colleagues, and perhaps even offer opportunities to help support the challenges facing primary care.

John Campbell

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