Primary Care Improvement - Pharmacy

By April 2022 Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians will provide specialist advice and support with medication to the patients of every GP practice so that they can get the best from their medicines.

Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are the experts in medicines and they will:

• review your medicines
• support you with medication changes
• advise you if you're struggling to manage your medication
• monitor the use of high risk medicines
• answer your queries about medicines
• re-authorise repeat prescriptions
• transfer suitable patients to serial prescribing
• help with the management of several conditions such as pain, diabetes, and high blood pressure

Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can also visit to provide medication reviews for patients in care homes and patients receiving care at home.

By introducing this Pharmacy service to GP practices, patients benefit by getting access to experts in medicines and, at the same time, the balance of work is changed across the Primary Care team, making the whole practice more sustainable.

If you've been in hospital, when you leave a letter is sent to your GP with details of any medicines that were prescribed for you during your hospital stay and that you are taking home. 

Now the Pharmacy team for your GP practice (not the GP) will review your medicines to ensure that changes made to your medicines when you were in hospital are continued. The Pharmacy team also carries out additional checks to make sure that all the medicines you're taking are prescribed safely. This process is also being done for medicines recommended at outpatient appointments.

In addition, Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians review the medication for patients taking lots of different medicines.

Yes, you can speak to a member of the Pharmacy team on the phone or make an appointment to see them. This can be arranged by contacting the GP reception staff, who are also patient advisers.

Initially we thought all Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians would be based within individual GP practices. In some areas we have been testing an arrangement called a Hub, which always has one Pharmacist and one Pharmacy Technician there to undertake medication-related activities all year round. 

So far this has been working well - it means that the Pharmacy staff get to know all the GP practices in the area rather than just the one where they are based, and they also spend time in individual GP practices.

The Pharmacy service is delivered by staff employed by NHS Tayside. Local community pharmacies are independent contractors who supply your medication and can also give you advice and help with minor ailments, common clinical conditions, and self-care.

Our Pharmacy service will work closely with local community pharmacies, for example when there are medicines shortages or, if necessary, when you are discharged from hospital.

As part of the Medicines Care and Review service, community pharmacists can carry out an annual medication review of patients registered for this service and link with the Pharmacy team in your GP practice if they think you would be suitable for a serial prescription.