Clinical Pharmacists in GP Practices

We are all familiar with our local community pharmacist – the medication expert who checks and approves our prescriptions when we collect them from a shop.

But what is a Clinical Pharmacist, and when might you come across one in your GP practice?

Clinical Pharmacists

Like their community counterparts, Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medication and will have completed a Masters’s degree in Pharmacy and be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. 

Their role in general practice is to help patients get the most out of their medication and ensure that the way GP practices prescribe treatment to patients is as efficient and effective as possible.

Since 2015, more and more Clinical Pharmacists have been working with GP practices, offering patients easy access to expert advice.

Our Primary Care Network employs Clinical Pharmacists to work with patients and staff across our seven member practices. They will often be the first point of contact for queries about your prescriptions, or when your medication reviews are due.

You can meet our Clinical Pharmacists by visiting the Our People section of this website.

Medication Reviews

Anyone who takes regularly prescribed medication should have a review every 12 months. When your review comes round, it might well be a Clinical Pharmacist you see or speak to, rather than a Doctor.

Reviews are a chance to discuss how you are getting on with your medication with an expert. They will ask how you find your prescription, whether it is bringing you the benefits you need, and if you encounter any problems or side effects.

It may be that small changes to the type of medication you take, or the strength of the dose, may lead to better outcomes for you. Clinical Pharmacists are always up to date with the latest medication guidelines and research and will be able to share that insight with you through suggestions that can help you get the most out of your treatment.

Multiple Prescriptions and Long Term Conditions

For anyone who takes multiple types of medication regularly, if, for example, they live with more than one long-term condition, then the advanced knowledge of medicines can be even more beneficial.

When taken simultaneously, different medications can impact each other, potentially limiting their effectiveness and, in turn, making your treatment less beneficial than it could be.