The inclusion of GPs within the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) this year 'must not jeopardise' the roles of pharmacists in primary care, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has warned.

This morning the government announced that primary care networks (PCNs) in England will be able to recruit GPs under the ARRS - which funds the salaries of some roles in general practice - as an 'emergency measure' for 2024-25.

It is hoped the move will enable the recruitment of more than 1,000 newly-qualified GPs, and it will be paid for by £82m 'from the existing department budget', the government said in a statement today.

But Brendon Jiang, vice-chair of the RPS England Pharmacy Board, told The Pharmacist today that this announcement 'must not jeopardise pharmacists’ roles that are already embedded into primary care teams'.

'With continued pressures on the health service, we need a strategic approach to workforce planning across the system, and for all professions.

'This must be backed by the ongoing investment needed to deliver high-quality patient care.'

And he noted the 'huge difference for patients' that ARRS pharmacists make, 'delivering structured medication reviews at scale'.

Meanwhile, Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA), welcomed today's announcement.

'PCPA have long advocated for strong multidisciplinary teams in general practice. That naturally includes at the centre of these teams, general practitioners,' he said.

'Support for recruitment, training and retention of general practitioners is central to the effective delivery of primary care in general practice and in PCNs, and we welcome today’s announcement.

'We eagerly await further details of extra funding that will allow PCNs and practices to recruit doctors to strengthen our ability to look after patients close to their homes.'

In its primary care bulletin, sent this afternoon, NHS England confirmed that the new measure 'does not impact existing ARRS staff because recruitment of GPs will use ring-fenced funding'.

'Continuing to build on the success of multi-disciplinary teams is vital to support delivery of proactive care,' it added.

Over 37,000 staff have already been recruited through ARRS, with pharmacists the most recruited role at 5,315 FTE.

In our recent snapshot survey, ARRS pharmacists raised concerns about salary and career progression.

And pharmacists across all settings noted positive impacts of ARRS, but community pharmacists said ‘too many’ pharmacists had moved into general practice.