While the PDA supports the ambition to make better use of pharmacists’ clinical skills and improve access to care, it has also raised significant concerns about how the expansion will be delivered in practice.
Community pharmacies are already operating under considerable pressure, with many reporting limited staffing and high workloads. The introduction of independent prescribing represents a substantial increase in clinical responsibility, rather than a straightforward extension of existing services.
The PDA has recently highlighted that community pharmacy in England is already at capacity with a 25% increase in volume of Pharmacy First activity. It is warning that, without clear commitments on workforce and operational models, the policy risks being implemented in already stretched settings where a single pharmacist is expected to manage dispensing, supervise regulated activities and staff, and provide complex clinical consultations simultaneously.
The PDA is reiterating its long-standing call for a minimum two-pharmacist model in pharmacies delivering expanded clinical services. Without this, there are concerns about patient safety, increased professional risk, and further strain on an already stretched workforce.
Concerns have also been raised about the suitability of pharmacy premises for delivering prescribing services, with many locations lacking the space and infrastructure needed for private, extended consultations.
Crucially, the PDA is also calling for a change in the way service expansions are developed.
Alison Jones, PDA Director of Policy and Communications said, “Independent prescribing in community pharmacy has clear potential to benefit patients, but it must be delivered safely and sustainably.
This announcement once again overlooks the reality on the ground. Many pharmacies simply do not have the staffing levels, capacity, or premises required to take on this significant additional clinical responsibility safely.
It is no longer acceptable for major service developments to be designed without the direct involvement of workforce representatives. The voice of frontline pharmacists must be embedded from the outset to ensure services are deliverable in practice.
If the government wants this to succeed, it must match ambition with proper workforce planning, investment in staffing, and clear standards for safe delivery.”
The PDA has said it stands ready to engage constructively with policymakers to help ensure that the expansion of Pharmacy First supports patients and reflects the realities facing the pharmacists delivering care.
Learn more
- Pharmacy First growth sparks capacity concerns for community pharmacy
- PDA survey highlights ongoing pressures facing UK pharmacists
- Why community pharmacy needs a new commissioning framework
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