Background The ‘Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice’ (CPGP) pilot provided a template for general practice pharmacy professionals’ (GPPPs) roles encouraging NHS England to fund >2000 practice-based pharmacists. However, many GPPPs work outside the CPGP initiative and little is known about the services they provide. Objectives To explore services provided by all UK GPPPs (pharmacists/pharmacy technicians), including the types of services, perceived benefits and barriers to role development. Methods A 26-item electronic questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey and piloted during cognitive interviews. A cross-sectional survey was conducted via social media, primary care organisations and emails to CPGP pilot sites between November 2018 and March 2019. Three reminders were sent 1 week apart. Key findings Ninety-one complete responses were received (81 pharmacists; 10 technicians). Over 80% of pharmacists provided clinical services, such as medication reviews or management of long-term conditions. More pharmacists within CPGP pilot managed repeat prescribing requests (P = 0.035). Technicians took responsibility for primarily non-clinical roles, including commissioning or safety alerts/drug recalls. A third of GPPPs wished to develop care home services. Perceived benefits of GPPPs’ services included improved utilisation/development of professional skills, identifying medicines-related issues and reduction in medication waste. Respondents were satisfied with professional relationships but reported workload issues, limited patient awareness of their roles and restricted opportunities to contribute to service development, which was associated with unsatisfactory support/mentorship (P < 0.001). Conclusion General practice pharmacy professionals deliver clinical and non-clinical services which may benefit patients, general practice and the healthcare system. General practices and national organisations should provide GPPPs with tailored support and exploit the combined strengths of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to tackle increased workload.
Background The Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice (CPGP) initiative aims to recruit over 2000 clinical pharmacists in general practice (GP) surgeries in England by 2020. This study aimed to explore the services delivered by all GP pharmacy professionals (GPPPs; pharmacists/pharmacy technicians) across the UK. Methods 30-item e-questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey platform and piloted during one-to-one cognitive interviews with GPPPs. The survey was distributed via the Primary Care Pharmacy Association, social media sites, collaborating GP organisations and via emails to participants of CPGP pilot. Three reminders were sent out 1 week apart. University ethics approval was obtained. Results Ninety-one responses were received between November 2018 and March 2019 (89% pharmacists, 52% from CPGP pilot). Participants provided an average of 9 services (95% CI 8.3-9.9). Over 90% of pharmacists delivered medication reviews and over 80% managed patients with polypharmacy. More pharmacists within than outside of the CPGP pilot managed repeat prescribing requests (70% vs. 47%, p = 0.035). Technicians took responsibility for primarily non-clinical services such as service commissioning (90%), management of safety alerts/drug recalls (80%), standard operating procedures (80%) and education & training (80%). Over 40% of GPPPs not providing care home services wished to do so by 2024. Four technicians wanted to be more involved in medication reviews. The main perceived benefits of GP pharmacy services included identifying medicines-related issues (93%), utilisation of pharmacy professionals’ skills (93%) and a reduction in medication waste (92%). Conclusions GPPPs provide a range of clinical and non-clinical services which may benefit public health at an individual and healthcare system levels. Pharmacists within the pilot are more likely to deliver repeat prescribing services. Future GP pharmacy landscape will likely include additional services to care homes. Key messages GPPPs including pharmacy technicians provide clinical and non-clinical services, appropriate to their scope of practice, to benefit patients, healthcare systems and themselves. Developing future GP pharmacy services to care homes offers further opportunities to benefit a vulnerable group of patients with long-term illnesses.
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