Emergence of polyclinics

The ownership and delivery of minor ailment schemes and treatment services focusing on the management of long-term conditions and check-ups, e.g. monitoring blood pressure are transferred to the pharmacy workforce. This leads to the development of polyclinics and integrated practice teams of GPs and pharmacists. GP practices no longer operate in an isolated setting and the number of pharmacist-led services expands, reducing the number of GP appointments attributed to chronic illness and disease.

Proposed workforce impact

• More pharmacists work in polyclinics, delivering check-up and screening services.
• Increased demand for community pharmacists.
• Increased collaboration across healthcare professions.
• Changes to pharmacy, GP and training infrastructure is required to deliver these services effectively and efficiently.

Sources or references

• http://www.bmj.com/content/336/7654/1161
• http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/assessing-evidence-polyclinics

Additional research questions

• How will pharmacists influence decisions taken by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)?
• How will polyclinics be structured to include the pharmacy workforce?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.