New research carried out by the Primary Care Pharmacists Association (PCPA) found that most primary care pharmacists who work in GP surgeries are carrying out clinical medication reviews (96 per cent).

Many are also carrying out care home reviews (51 per cent), doing home visits (49 per cent) and running chronic disease management clinics (42 per cent). Other services carried out by practice pharmacists included flu injections and immunisation clinics, respiratory clinics and multi-morbidity clinics.

The PCPA has welcomed the Royal College of General Practitioners and Royal Pharmaceutical Society joint statement on GP-practice based pharmacists.

“Pharmacists should be much more effectively used in primary care,” says Ravi Sharma, PCPA practice pharmacy lead. “At the GP surgery I work in I can see up to 40 patients a day, reviewing their medicines and helping them to manage their conditions. We need to work in collaboration with our GP and nursing colleagues to deliver high quality of care.”

The PCPA is currently developing a GP practice pharmacist pack, which is designed to assist GP practices when considering employing a primary care pharmacist in their practice. It will be available next month.

The PCPA believes there should be a dedicated practice pharmacist employed by every GP practice and a senior primary care pharmacist employed at board level by every CCG.