Medicines Team
Helping patients in the Forest of Dean make the most of their medicines.
Clinical Pharmacists
Clinical pharmacists are specialists in medicines. They can work with you as part of the GP team to make sure your medicines help you to get better and stay well.
Having a clinical pharmacist in the GP team means you can be treated by the best person to meet your needs.
When will I see a clinical pharmacist?
You will see a clinical pharmacist when you need expert advice on your medicines. You may need to see a GP first to find out what your illness is.
The GP may then ask you to see a practice nurse or a clinical pharmacist.
Here are some examples of how a clinical pharmacist can help:
Long term conditions
If you have a long term condition, the clinical pharmacist can talk to you about the medicines you are taking to make sure they are working for you.
Having side effects
If your medicine is making you feel bad, the clinical pharmacist can help by changing your medicine or changing how much medicine you are taking.
Checking your medicines
The clinical pharmacist can check all your medicines and talk to you about how the medicines are working for you.
After a stay in hospital
If your medicines have been changed while you were in hospital, the clinical pharmacist can help explain these changes and make sure the medicines are working well for you.
Clinical pharmacists can work together with pharmacists in other parts of the healthcare system such as the hospital or community pharmacy.
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians make sure that patients get the most out of their medicines.
What can a pharmacy technician help with?
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medication reviews
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queries about medications
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telephone reviews
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ensuring patients get the most out of their medication
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ensuring there is joined-up care for patients
How are GP practices benefiting from the PCN Medicines Team?
Clinical pharmacists can prescribe certain medication and conduct medication reviews. Pharmacy Technicians can answer questions about medication and support patients with their treatment.
The Medicines team help deal with medication queries, taking these pressures off GPs.
This allows GPs to focus their skills where they are most needed. For, example on diagnosing and treating patients with more complex conditions.
This helps GPs to manage the demands on their time.