Revealed: 40 areas that will recruit 'clinical pharmacists'
NHS England has revealed the 40 areas across England where its latest wave of "clinical pharmacists" will work.
See the map below to find out which clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas will support the placement of practice pharmacists, according to NHS England's latest data.
The first wave of applications for NHS England’s Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice programme has been assessed, and more than 730 additional GP surgeries will employ pharmacists, the commissioner announced last week (April 12).
The expansion of the programme follows a 2015 pilot where NHS England recruited an estimated 490 “clinical pharmacists” across 650 GP practices.
The following year, the commissioner pledged to invest over £112 million to get an extra 1,500 “clinical pharmacists” into general practice by 2021, to help relieve GP workload.
Commenting on the programme last week, National Pharmacy Association chairman Ian Strachan said that while NHS England’s proposals can “complement” community pharmacy, it is a “limited solution”.
“The danger is that attention and resources are diverted away from the community pharmacy network, which is under-utilised and under threat,” he said.
“The real solution to GP access pressures can only lie in liberating the clinical potential of all pharmacists,” he added.
NHS England is inviting GP practices and "other providers of general practice medical services" to apply for the second wave of places by May 12.
See the 45 approved GP practices and "medical services providers" mapped out by CCG area below.
Will any practice pharmacists be recruited in your area?