GP pharmacist numbers soar 25% in a year
By the end of 2023 there were 24.5% more pharmacists in general practice and primary care networks (PCNs), despite sector leaders warning of a “shortfall” in community pharmacists.
New data from NHS Digital has revealed the number of pharmacists working in general practice climbed by a quarter last year.
The primary care workforce data, which was published last week (February 15), showed that in December there were 6,874 full-time equivalent pharmacists working in general practices and PCNs.
NHS digital said this number is up 24.5% from December 2023, when there were 5,522 GP and PCN pharmacists.
This is a 6.6 percentage point increase on the previous year – between December 2023-22 the number of GP and PCN pharmacists increased by 17.9%.
The number of pharmacy technicians in PCNs and GPs also saw a staggering increase last year, jumping from 1,633 in December 2022 to 2,292 in December 2023 – a 40.4% increase.
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul”
In October, former pharmacy minister Neil O’Brien said 46% of ARRS funding had been spent on the recruitment of “clinical pharmacists”.
Chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) Malcolm Harrison deemed the £387m “and counting” spent on pharmacist ARRS recruitment a “staggering amount of money that has directly led to the shortfall of community pharmacists in England”.
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a short-sighted strategy,” he warned.
But Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA) president Dr Graham Stretch stressed that “whilst all working in primary care would support a fair contract for community pharmacy, the £387 million is part of GP contract funding” and not “separate community pharmacy contractual negotiations”.
Meanwhile, a survey by the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) revealed concerns about “inadequate” training, time pressures, workload and pay from its members working in general practice.
