The PDA believes that the expansion of pharmacist prescribing is a major and positive development for community pharmacy, with significant potential benefits for patients, the profession and the NHS. However, as prescribing becomes a more central part of pharmacy practice, it will be important to ensure that the workforce is properly supported to deliver these services safely, sustainably and fairly.
Prescribing is not simply an extension of existing service activity, in the PDA’s view. It brings additional clinical responsibility, professional accountability and workload, and should therefore be supported by clear workforce planning, appropriate investment, robust governance arrangements and protected development time.
The PDA’s own analysis of the introduction of Pharmacy First in England has already shown that activity increased workload by around 25% without a corresponding increase in workforce capacity. This, the PDA believes, demonstrates the critical need to ensure that future service expansion is matched by adequate workforce planning.
The PDA also notes that the evaluation of the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme highlighted potential workforce challenges, including the risk that prescribing consultations may be ‘squeezed in’ around pharmacists’ existing daily workload. The PDA believes this reinforces the need for proper workforce planning and sufficient pharmacist capacity to support safe, sustainable prescribing services.
According to the PDA, if uptake depends on local workforce capacity, employer support, training opportunities and effective commissioning arrangements, patients in different areas may experience different levels of access to pharmacist prescribing. The PDA says that risk should be monitored transparently and addressed through national workforce planning and investment, rather than left to develop unevenly.
The PDA also argues that the success of pharmacist prescribing should not be measured solely by service activity or patient uptake. It should be assessed by its impact on workforce sustainability, pharmacist wellbeing, recruitment, retention and the ability of pharmacies to continue delivering safe and effective patient care.
In addition, the PDA says robust monitoring arrangements will be needed to ensure prescribing services are implemented equitably. Differences in workforce capacity, employer support, training access and local commissioning arrangements could affect both local patient access and pharmacists’ opportunities to develop as prescribers.
As prescribing expands, the PDA is calling on governments, employers and commissioners to continue recognising the vital contribution of pharmacists who are delivering dispensing, medicines optimisation, clinical checking, supervision, public health and other core services. The PDA believes the transition to a prescribing profession should not create a two-tier workforce or disadvantage pharmacists whose primary role remains the safe and effective management of medicines.
The PDA maintains the position that pharmacists and their recognised workforce representatives should be meaningfully involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of prescribing policy. Their insight into workload, workforce capacity, patient safety and professional standards is essential to ensuring that policy is grounded in the realities of practice.
While welcoming the opportunities presented by the expansion of pharmacist prescribing, the PDA says its long-term success will depend on whether services are implemented at scale with the right workforce conditions, appropriate investment and sustainable support for pharmacists, while delivering lasting benefits for patients, pharmacists and the wider healthcare system.
Learn more
- PDA responds to expansion of Pharmacy First to include independent prescribing
- Pharmacy First growth sparks capacity concerns for community pharmacy
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