The Primary Care Pharmacy Programme provides one session of community pharmacist time to more than 70 practices each week. A community pharmacy technician is also available in a few of the largest practices.
The programme reduces the demands on GP time for performing tasks that can be handled by a medicines expert. This includes managing repeat prescriptions, carrying out medication reviews, liaising with community pharmacies, supporting patients with long term conditions and complex medication issues, and supporting patients in residential care.
The benefits of this scheme include GPs being more available for when their specific expertise is needed and medication experts being available within practices. In the first five months alone, an estimated more than 1400 hours of GP time was released.
This scheme has been shortlisted for a national award for GP Partnership of the Year 2016 in the Chemist and Druggist awards. Winners will be announced on Wednesday 15 June. Find out more here
Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, NHS England, said:
“It is critical for pharmacists and GPs to work closely together if patients are going to get optimal outcomes from their medicines. This initiative is a good example of that and will help develop a genuine multidisciplinary and seamless approach to patient care which plays to the strengths of GPs and community pharmacists alike. It sits well alongside NHS England’s initiative to help fund and pilot over 400 clinical pharmacists to work alongside GPs.”
Read Ravi Mohan’s blog on what it’s like to be a Community Pharmacist participating in the scheme
