Pharmacists could help plug the gap in the GP workforce

Pharmacists could start treating patients in GP surgeries under “radical” new proposals from medical professionals to help bring down waiting times and ease the burden on general practice. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) say pharmacists could treat those patients whose main reason for visiting their GP is medicines-related. This could include large numbers of patients who have already been diagnosed with a long-term condition, such as asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pharmacists could also take control of a GP practice’s medicine stocks and liaise with local hospitals and care homes about prescriptions.