This long-overdue investment in bricks-and-mortar infrastructure is a positive step toward modernising primary care and enhancing patient access. However, while the focus on tackling outdated facilities is welcome, the PDA stresses that these improvements must not be limited to supporting GPs alone. Primary care is delivered by a growing multidisciplinary team, and the roles of pharmacists are integral to general practice.
Pharmacists working in general practice manage long-term conditions, conduct structured medication reviews, lead on medicines optimisation, and contribute to patient safety across the system. Yet, PDA members have consistently reported that in some practices, the facilities allocated to pharmacists are inadequate, ranging from shared desks in corridors to non-clinical or makeshift spaces not suitable for confidential patient consultations or clinical work.
Jay Badenhorst, PDA Director of Pharmacy, said, “Our members tell us that they are sometimes working in spaces that are simply not conducive to safe, effective, or dignified patient care. As the NHS rightly seeks to bring care closer to communities, it must ensure that every healthcare professional, including pharmacists, has the facilities and infrastructure they need to do their job properly.”
The PDA strongly supports the broader goal of shifting care out of hospitals and into the community and any investment in the estate must enable every member of the primary care team to work to the top of their license. Anything less risks undermining the efficiency and safety gains this wider transformation seeks to deliver.
The government’s Plan for Change includes important initiatives to expand access and reduce bureaucracy in primary care. However, delivering on this vision requires more than physical upgrades; it requires spaces built around the needs of the modern, team-based model of care. The PDA stands ready to work with government, NHS England, and GP leaders to ensure these investments benefit all clinicians and the patients they serve.
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