News

Value of first pharmacist prescriber pilots questioned

31-Jan-08

Independent prescriber pharmacists are being put in place in GP surgeries, despite GPC protests that the move threatens the future of general practice.

GP practices in Hampshire are among the first in the country to be using independent prescriber pharmacists.

Stephen Inns, a pharmacist and lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, has been running two four-hour hypertension clinics a week since obtaining his independent prescriber certificate last November.

The clinic treats around 1,800 patients at the Bishops Waltham surgery in south Hampshire, which has a list size of 13,500.

‘I'm working for a PCT and the GP practice is paying the trust for my clinic time,' he said.

The cost is around £60,000 pro rata, said Mr Inns. In contrast, a qualified nurse earns a basic annual salary of £26,100 and a GP £110,000, according to figures from the Information Centre.

‘The GPs are gradually recognising the potential for this particular service,' said Mr Inns.

‘We're probably in a good position to manage patients not just in one clinical disease area, as nurses do at the moment, but we can manage patients with multiple comorbidities.'

But Dr Peter Fellows, member of the GPC prescribing subcommittee and Gloucestershire GP, said: ‘The government is trying to use all sorts of means to obtain cheap GPs. We are worried about this development and its threat to general practice.

‘Pharmacists don't have the associated clinical knowledge of doctors,' he added.

‘The government hasn't listened to the GPC and has allowed all independent prescribers to prescribe from the British National Formulary and I think that could be dangerous.'

rachel.liddle@haymarket.com

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Comments

Steve Williams

31/01/2008

Those professionals, be it pharmacists or nurses, have elected to undergo the appropriate training to allow them to become prescribers in their own right. There are clear parameters laid down with regard to what can or cannot be prescribed. This is done in conjunction with the PCT and local GP's. Perhaps, where there could be a threat to the future of General Practice is the creeping expansion of the private sector into general practice via the APMS route and the future plans of the big high street pharmacies.

Suyin Jordan

03/02/2008

GPs should not feel threatened but see this as a positive thing that could help give paitents more options with regard to obtaining their medications. The Pharmacist is not trying to be a GP he/she is prescribing drugs that his/her training and education allows. Who is better placed than a pharmacist to prescribe whose wealth of pharmacological knowledge will enable them to precribe accurately taking into consideration any co-morbities a patient may have not to mention the problems of polypharmacy!

Mohammed Ahmed

04/02/2008

It is recognised that there is always resistant to change.

'Pharmacists don't have the associated clinical knowledge of doctors,'

I have been First contact practitioner for past 4 years and pharamcist independent prescriber for a year. I work in a GP practice and was seeing patients like GP do with acute and chronic problems. I am not a GP but with apporpriate training and clinical knowledge and appropriate collaboration with GP's the aim is achievable (PATIENT CARE). At the same time the practice budget was reduced by £300,000 in one year (cost effective prescribing)

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