Clinical pharmacists in general practice: An initial evaluation of activity in one English primary care organisation

Joseph Bush*, Christopher A. Langley, Duncan Jenkins, Jaspal Johal, Clair Huckerby

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objectives: This aim of this research was to characterise the breadth and volume of activity conducted by clinical pharmacists in general practice in Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and to provide quantitative estimates of both the savings in general practitioner (GP) time and the financial savings attributable to such activity. Methods: This descriptive observational study retrospectively analysed quantitative data collected by Dudley CCG concerning the activity of clinical pharmacists in GP practices during 2015. Key findings: Over the 9-month period for which data were available, the 5.4 whole time equivalent clinical pharmacists operating in GP practices within Dudley CCG identified 23 172 interventions. Ninety-five per cent of the interventions identified were completed within the study period saving the CCG in excess of £1 000 000. During the 4 months for which resource allocation data were available, the clinical pharmacists saved 628 GP appointments plus an additional 647 h that GPs currently devote to medication review and the management of repeat prescribing. Conclusions: This research suggests that clinical pharmacists in general practice in Dudley CCG are able to deliver clinical interventions efficiently and in high volume. In doing so, clinical pharmacists were able to generate considerable financial returns on investment. Further work is recommended to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of clinical pharmacists in general practice in improving outcomes for patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)501-506
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Pharmacy Practice
Volume26
Issue number6
Early online date27 Dec 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Nov 2018

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Clinical pharmacists in general practice: An initial evaluation of activity in one English primary care organisation Bush, J., Langley, C. A., Jenkins, D., Johal, J. & Huckerby, C. 27 Dec 2017 In : International Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 6 p.], which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/ijpp.12426]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.

Funding: NHS Institute for InnovationChallenge

Keywords

  • Clinical pharmacists
  • English National Health Service
  • General practice
  • General practitioners
  • Primary care

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