Independent prescribing
Pharmacist independent prescribing: the future
There are already independent pharmacist prescribers working across community pharmacy in the UK but there are currently no nationally commissioned prescribing services for long-term conditions. This will change. From September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be able to prescribe from day one of registration.
Introducing independent prescribing as part of the national contractual frameworks or through local commissioning will mean that pharmacist training and clinical service delivery can be used to work towards an integrated workforce model in primary care (subject to funding and negotiation).
Ultimately, integrated care boards (ICBs)/health boards will be able to commission pathways that widen access to care and tackle health inequalities by using the unique footprint that community pharmacy creates in local neighbourhoods.
Reflection exercise
High blood pressure is very common and thought to affect one in four adults in the UK. You have undertaken a clinic reading and subsequent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for a patient whose daytime average ABPM reading is 146/81mmHg. What advice would you give to the patient regarding the results and next steps?