Become a GP pharmacist - it's where the funding and training is
From nursing homes to GP practices, Graham Stretch describes the “newest sectors” available for newly-qualified pharmacists
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Graham Stretch, general practice pharmacist at Ealing GP federation and lead pharmacist at west London-based medical care provider The Argyle Health Group, joined C+D’s first-ever careers event – in association with C+D Jobs – last month, to share his advice on carving out a successful pharmacy career path.
As well as sharing his years of experience, Mr Stretch took the opportunity to “sell” what he reluctantly termed as the “newest sector” available for newly-qualified and pre-registration pharmacists to join – general practice.
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Mr Stretch began his pharmacy career as a community pharmacy locum, where he first gained skills in medicines management. By working with the local GP practice and forming relationships with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), he was able to explore his passion further.
“My first love is care of the elderly, and nursing homes are obviously a good place to do that,” he told attendees.
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Mr Stretch advocated the importance of a good skill mix within any pharmacy environment, as well as “integrated posts”.
“You can’t integrate buildings. But actually if you move people between settings, you get those learning and institutional connections, because real people are moving between settings and can explain the different pressures,” he said.
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Ealing GP Federation's pre-registration scheme sees trainee pharmacists split their time evenly between working in the GP surgery on its care home contract, and working within community pharmacy.
"At the moment, we don’t have a clear career structure [for GP pharmacists]," Mr Stretch said. "We have these [pre-reg] placements and they invariably say: 'I didn’t realise pharmacists did that'."
Next year, Mr Stretch will recruit a pre-reg through the newly-launched national recruitment system, Oriel, for the first time.
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Describing NHS England's national scheme to recruit a further 1,500 pharmacists into general practice by 2020, Mr Stretch said this is where the funding and education is.
“The money is there, [as is] the training for both independent prescribing and the clinical aspects of the role.”
“Soon we’re going to need more pharmacists [in GP surgeries], and there’s a proper structured and funded career path for it. So I would recommend it to you all,” he added.
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As well as the GP pharmacist pilot, Mr Stretch outlined the NHS England funding dedicated to encouraging more pharmacy professionals to work across care homes.
“I can’t not talk about care homes, because it's my first love,” Mr Stretch said. “You have to be a generalist to deal with old people…but these people need us more than any other,” he stressed.
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Mr Stretch said he loves the diversity that comes with being a GP pharmacist, from medicines management and prescription management to independent prescribing and community care.
“For the first time in my career, [my job] brings together all the things I have done,” he said. “So I clinically manage a patient, I can change their medication, I can start them on a new medication, I can realise they have cancer and refer them on to hospital without a two-week wait,” Mr Stretch explained.
“It is particularly rewarding to help someone towards the end their life, and this role is developing.”
Couldn't attend C+D's careers event? You can watch all of the speeches in a video – available until October 20 – on C+D's Facebook page here.