Being experts in medicines

"Ensuring the quality and safety of medicines use"

The key role of pharmacy professionals, that distinguishes them from other health care professions, is expertise in medicines. This will remain at the centre of pharmacy in 2030, with pharmacy teams ensuring the quality and safety of medicines use through both patient-facing and technical expertise.

In 2030, pharmacists will be the clinical lead for safe and effective prescribing within all care settings. Most pharmacists will work in patient-facing roles, consulting with patients: assessing, prescribing, monitoring and reviewing medicines for individual patients. They will be autonomous professionals working within multidisciplinary teams, prescribing in their own right, and managing caseloads of patients who take high risk medicines or who have complex therapeutic needs.

These pharmacists will be known as “advanced generalist pharmacists” and will be able to move flexibly between care settings. Some pharmacists will choose to specialise in particular clinical or technical fields, and will become “advanced specialist pharmacists”. Some will develop further into consultant pharmacists who have an influence beyond the individual service to leading whole system improvements.

In 2030, pharmacy technicians will lead and be experts in safe and secure purchasing, storage, dispensing and supply of medicines. This will include managing services and providing assurance on safe and effective processes. Pharmacy technicians working in patient-facing advanced level roles will consult with patients, undertake technical aspects of medicines reconciliation and medication review, triage patients, monitor and review blood results, provide patient education, administer medicines (if enabled by legislation/governance arrangements) and liaise with cross sector pharmacy teams.