We caught up with the Pharmacist/Pharmacy Team of the Year Award shortlist ahead of this year’s General Practice Awards ceremony to be held on 6 December at the Novotel London West.

The Orpington PCN Pharmacy Team has grown from a group of five to a thriving team of 13 over the past 18 months, comprising both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This expansion has allowed for a transformation of patient care within the PCN, introducing new processes and ensuring the entire team works to its full potential.

The commitment to training and enhancing the service has strengthened the team’s capabilities, with four pharmacists now qualified prescribers. Pharmacy technicians have also been upskilled, enabling them to run hypertension clinics and lead on patient safety monitoring. This has lightened GP workloads and provided more comprehensive care for patients.

In addition, limiting the number of practices each pharmacist or technician covers has strengthened relationships with practice staff, making the team more integrated and accessible. Reception staff and GPs now have a clearer understanding of the pharmacists’ roles and can confidently refer patients for timely medication reviews.

The team’s involvement in a wellbeing café for elderly patients has built trust with patients and allowed for the provision of medication advice in a relaxed setting. For many patients, especially those with a dementia diagnosis, this informal approach has made it easier to ask questions, improving both their understanding of medications and their overall care experience.

The introduction of ‘PCN days’ has been pivotal to the team’s success. By designating one day each week for pharmacists and technicians to focus on broader PCN projects rather than practice-specific work, they’ve created a more flexible and resilient team.

This approach enables seamless cover across practices during periods of staff absence and allows for a more robust service. The team has also used this time to conduct important audits, including a statin audit for patients with chronic kidney disease and an opioid management project.

In addition, an antipsychotic audit focused on ensuring that dementia patients over 65 are prescribed antipsychotics in line with national and local guidelines, identifying opportunities for deprescribing where appropriate.

The impact of the team is clear from the feedback received. Patient comments include ‘very good’, ‘so supportive in getting problems I was having with my medication’, ‘kind and helpful’, and ‘more than helpful and such a lovely person’.

Practice staff have also praised the team’s contributions, with one practice manager describing members as ‘friendly and cooperative and a pleasure to work with’.

The team itself is rightly proud of its work, with one member commenting: ‘We’re a great team to be a part of, always supporting each other. I’m really proud that we can offer patients an accessible service where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings about their medication. It’s rewarding to know we’re making a real difference to their care.’