Pharmacy minister Alistair Burt has praised the “huge contribution” pharmacists are making to reduce GPs’ workload.
 
Employing pharmacists in practices in Hampshire has allowed GPs to extend their appointments by five minutes, Mr Burt said at the launch of an all-party pharmacy group (APPG) inquiry into improving primary care last week (October 14).
 
“It has resulted in patients going directly to pharmacists, so GPs can lengthen appointment times. Ten minutes becomes 15, and 15 minutes becomes 20,” he said.
 
There are “many great examples” around the country of primary care changing, said Mr Burt, who highlighted “pharmacists offering consultations” and “GPs offering evening and weekend appointments”.
 
“We are asking GPs to break down barriers with other healthcare professionals to deliver high quality care," he said. "Some GPs are already providing seven-day care by making better use of pharmacists.”
 
“There are established practices that will be altered fundamentally,” Mr Burt added. “We need to build on current pilots and ensure access to services, quality and patient outcomes.” 

"Strong support" for practice pharmacist pilot

The government “strongly supports” NHS England’s pilot to partially fund pharmacists in selected GP practices, Mr Boyd said. These pharmacists will be an “integral part of the practice team” and “ideally placed to optimise [patients’] medicines use”, he said.
 
In June, Mr Burt pledged £7.5m of government funding to support the rollout of access to the summary care record in every English pharmacy, and he told the APPG inquiry that this initiative will enable greater integration between GPs and community pharmacists.
 
The government also supports NHS England’s Five Year Forward View strategy, which “says that more should be made of pharmacists in local care models”, he said.     

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