NHS England has announced plans to more than double its funding for a pilot scheme placing pharmacists in GP practices, increasing spending from £15 million to £31 million. This comes in the wake of strong support from GP surgeries for the scheme, which was first announced this summer. It is claimed that the scheme’s expansion will allow over seven million patients to consult a clinical pharmacist when attending their local surgery.

73 applications for a share of the funding have been approved. Overall, the scheme will extend to 698 GP practices, which will benefit from the expertise of 403 clinical pharmacists. Services provided include assistance with managing long-term conditions, advising patients who are taking multiple medications and offering clinical advice on treatments.

Sandra Gidley, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Board, said: “This extra investment of £16 million in the pilot is fantastic news. It’s a real vote of confidence in the pharmacy profession and a huge step towards the integration of pharmacists into primary care.

“NHS England’s support in evolving the role of the practice pharmacist will prove enormously valuable to both patients and other clinicians. More patients will see at first-hand the difference a practice pharmacist can make to their health and more GPs will come to regard them as an essential part of the multidisciplinary team in their practice.”