Stressed GPs will hire 1,500 chemists to ease workload
HUNDREDS of chemists are to be hired to assist family doctors with their soaring workload, NHS bosses announced last night.
Officials have given the go-ahead for 1,500 new pharmacists to start working in clinics over the next four years.
NHS England said an estimated six million patients will benefit from the move. There are 490 pharmacists employed by general practices at present.
The NHS said the initiative would free GPs to deal with serious cases, while pharmacists instead handle queries about coughs, colds and medication.
They will also help patients manage long-term conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
The announcement is part of NHS chief Simon Stevens’ plan to put GP surgeries at the centre of the health service.
Mr Stevens wants to expand dramatically access to GP services, and has promised that by 2019 all patients will be able to book weekend and evening appointments.
The Royal College of GPs last night welcomed the plan to hire pharmacists at a time of severe GP shortages.
The college’s chairman, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, said: ‘With family doctors currently facing unprecedented resource and workforce pressures, we are grateful for the support of pharmacists who are playing an increasingly vital role within some GP practice teams.
‘They should not be seen as substitutes for GPs but they are highly- skilled and welltrusted healthcare professionals who carry out important tasks such as medication reviews and managing repeat prescriptions for patients with long-term conditions.’
‘A win-win for GPs and patients’
Officials insisted no patient would be forced to see a pharmacist rather than a GP – but would be given a choice when they book an appointment.
Some senior pharmacists with certain qualifications are able to prescribe drugs, but most will only advise patients and recommend over- thecounter medications such as cough syrups and painkillers.
The announcement comes after a study yesterday revealed that two in five GPs plan to quit in the next five years, compounding the NHS workforce crisis.
Dr Arvind Madan, NHS England’s director of primary care, said: ‘The clinical pharmacist programme is a clear win-win for patients and GPs.
‘ The pilot schemes have shown GP workload to be eased while patients have the convenience of being seen by the right professional in a more timely way.’ The 490 pharmacists already working in 658 practices are part of a pilot launched in July 2015.
Yesterday’s announcement will see a further 219 pharmacists start in coming weeks, shared between an additional 730 practices.
By 2021 officials want 2,000 pharmacists in position, as part of a £100million project to expand their role in the NHS.
Liz McAnulty, of the Patients Association, said: ‘This is just one part of the major shift that needs to happen to improve efficiency within the NHS.’