Clinical pharmacists are medicines experts who work in GP practices and Primary Care Networks rather than in community pharmacies or hospitals. Their role focuses on patient care and clinical decision-making, not dispensing.
In primary care, they carry out structured medication reviews, manage long-term conditions, monitor high-risk medicines and help patients get better results from their treatments. Many are qualified as Independent Prescribers, which means they can prescribe medications without needing a GP to sign off.
How They Differ from Community Pharmacists
Community pharmacists dispense prescriptions, sell over-the-counter medicines and offer health advice from high street premises. Clinical pharmacists work as part of the GP practice team. They have consulting rooms, see patients by appointment and access medical records to make clinical decisions about treatment.
The distinction matters because it affects what they can do for you. A community pharmacist can tell you how to take your medication. A clinical pharmacist can decide whether you should be taking it at all, adjust your dose, switch you to something more suitable or stop a medicine that’s causing problems.
Qualifications and Training
All clinical pharmacists start with a Master of Pharmacy degree accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council, followed by foundation training and the GPhC registration assessment. This qualifies them to work as pharmacists, but primary care roles require additional training.
Most complete a postgraduate qualification in clinical pharmacy practice and undertake the CPPE pathway for PCN pharmacists. Those who want to prescribe independently complete further training to become Independent Prescribers, which allows them to prescribe any medicine, including controlled drugs, within their competence.
Why GP Practices Now Employ Them
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme funds PCNs to recruit clinical pharmacists and other staff. This funding exists because GP workload has increased and much of it involves medicines queries that pharmacists handle well.
Having a clinical pharmacist in the practice means medication reviews don’t sit in a queue waiting for GP time, repeat prescribing gets proper oversight and patients on multiple medicines get appointments with someone who can spend longer with them and whose training is specifically about medicines.
What to Expect as a Patient
Clinical pharmacist appointments tend to be longer than GP appointments. You might see one if you take several regular medicines, have recently left hospital, manage a long-term condition or need a medication review.
They’ll go through your medicines, check everything is working as intended and look for anything that could be improved. Sometimes that means stopping a medicine, sometimes adjusting a dose, sometimes switching to an alternative with fewer side effects.
“Clinical pharmacists have a unique role in ensuring every patient gets the most from their medicines. By having longer, focused appointments, we’re able to pick up on issues that often go unnoticed, such as unnecessary side effects or medication combinations that aren’t ideal. Our goal is to work alongside patients, not just for them, so they can feel more confident and empowered about their health.”
Adeem Azhar, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Core Prescribing Solutions
Working with the Practice Team
Clinical pharmacists work alongside GPs, nurses, pharmacy technicians and other practice staff. They contribute to practice meetings, advise colleagues on prescribing questions and help train staff on medicines safety.
This isn’t a standalone role. Good medicines management depends on communication between everyone involved in a patient’s care, and clinical pharmacists sit at the centre of that when it comes to prescribing decisions.
The Bigger Picture
Primary care faces sustained pressure from rising demand and limited GP capacity. Clinical pharmacists take on work that would otherwise fall to doctors, but they also do things that weren’t getting done at all, like comprehensive medication reviews for complex patients.
Their presence in general practice is now standard rather than unusual. For patients, that means access to dedicated medicines expertise without needing a hospital referral or specialist appointment.