“The roles of pharmacists are integral to general practice,” the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) today (May 8) said, calling for pharmacists not to be ignored in the government’s newly announced £102 million investment in general practice.
Pharmacists working in general practice “contribute to patient safety across the system”, it said, noting that despite this, working conditions can be poor.
“PDA members have consistently reported that in some practices, the facilities allocated to pharmacists are inadequate, ranging from shared desks in corridors to non-clinical or makeshift spaces not suitable for confidential patient consultations or clinical work,” it added.
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PDA pharmacy director Jay Badenhorst said that its members report that “that they are sometimes working in spaces that are simply not conducive to safe, effective or dignified patient care”.
And he called for the NHS to “ensure that every healthcare professional, including pharmacists, has the facilities and infrastructure they need to do their job properly” to deliver its goal of bringing care “closer to communities”.
“Undermining” efficiency
The PDA’s comment came in response to the government’s announcement earlier this week (May 6) of an “over £102m” cash injection into general practice to “modernise” more than 1,000 surgeries and create more than 8.3 million extra appointments each year.
“This long-overdue investment in bricks-and-mortar infrastructure is a positive step toward modernising primary care and enhancing patient access,” the PDA said, but urged that “these improvements must not be limited to supporting GPs alone”.
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“The PDA strongly supports the broader goal of shifting care out of hospitals and into the community and any investment in the estate must enable every member of the primary care team to work to the top of their licence,” it added.
“Anything less risks undermining the efficiency and safety gains this wider transformation seeks to deliver,” it said, stressing that “primary care is delivered by a growing multidisciplinary team” that includes pharmacists.
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It comes after an “overall increase in investment of £889m” was announced for GPs in February as part of their 2025/26 funding deal.
And as part of the contract, GPs were also told that they must reinstall GP Connect technology, which allows pharmacies to send routine consultation information to their patients’ GP practices.
