Clinical Pharmacists

 
“Bringing pharmacists into general practice is exciting and offers new benefits to our patients.”
— Aasim, Senior Clinical Pharmacist

London Medical Associates West London GP Federation (LMA) support Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians to work within General Practice across West London.

Clinical Pharmacists will either be independent prescribers or work towards independent prescribing status if not already held. Whilst their roles will vary depending on practice needs, clinical pharmacists will undertake a wide variety of roles.

1. Clinical services

  • Managing and prescribing for long-term conditions: e.g. asthma, COPD, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, heart failure, diabetes.

  • Medication reviews, especially patients on complex polypharmacy

  • Interpreting/Requesting pathology tests and other investigations

  • Triaging and managing common ailments

  • Addressing medicines adherence with patients

  • Working closely with GPs and practice staff to resolve day-to-day medicines issues

  • Taking part in multidisciplinary case reviews

  • Carrying out face-to-face or telephone follow up with patients

  • Supporting GPs and other practice staff to deliver on QOF, QIPP, and locally commissioned enhanced services (e.g. PSS)

  • Signposting patients to appropriate services and other healthcare professionals

  • Implementing NICE and additional local/national guidance

2. Prescription management

  • Management of repeat prescribing, prescription authorisations and acute medicines requests

  • Reconciliation of medicines in outpatient and discharge letters — including liaison with hospital, community and primary care colleagues to ensure correct medicines are continued following the transfer of care

  • Answering medicines information enquiries from GPs, other healthcare professionals and patients

  • Implementing systems for monitoring treatments usages such as antibiotics and high-risk drug monitoring

 
“The Clinical Pharmacists were able to review all my medications and give me advice on when best to take them...”
— COPD Patient in West London

3. Audit and Education

  • Conducting clinical audits

  • Contributing to the clinical education of healthcare professionals and practice staff

  • Providing leadership of quality improvement programmes that involve medicines