Pharmacists working in general practice who are told not to undertake activity due to GP collective action should 'follow the reasonable instruction' of their employer 'as long as it does not compromise patient safety', the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has said.

But in general, they should continue to undertake their roles 'as normal within [their] competencies and responsibilities' during the period of action.

'You should not undertake activity outside of your scope of practice or competency,' the PDA reminded pharmacists.

This comes as an overwhelming majority (98.3%) of GPs balloted by the British Medical Association (BMA) have voted in favour of taking 'collective action', starting today (1 August).

GP practices have been encouraged to 'pick and choose' from a proposed list of 10 actions, including limiting daily contacts per clinician to 25 and switching off the  GP Connect Update Record functionality that permits the entry of coding into the GP clinical record by third-party providers.

And the actions should be enacted 'across the whole practice team', the BMA said.

The BMA is not asking practices to take any action that will place them in breach of their contract, but rather has described the action as a 'lifestyle modification' and a 'collective professional reset' that will continue beyond the summer if necessary.

The PDA said that as an organisation, it 'wants all NHS contracts to be properly funded and enabled to operate effectively for patients', and that it was focusing its attention on the impact of action on for employed and locum pharmacists and their ability to continue to provide safe and effective care for patients.

And while it advised pharmacists to familiarise themselves with the action being taken and its objectives, it emphasised that as individuals, they should not be pressurised to support it.

'Employee and locum pharmacists are not party to the contractual dispute between community pharmacy businesses/GP practices and NHS England, and as individuals, they should not come under pressure to participate or publicly support the action,' the PDA said in a guidance document released today. 

And it reminded employers that they 'must maintain their contractual obligations to the pharmacists working for them'.

'For example, they must not unilaterally adjust pharmacists’ normal pay and working patterns to accommodate this activity. Likewise, any existing agreements on locum pay must be honoured in line with the contract for services,' the PDA said.

If pharmacists working in general practice had any concerns about the impact of the collective action on patient care, they should 'follow normal procedures and protocols', in line with their professional standards and responsibilities, the PDA added.

And it noted that the same advice would apply when community pharmacy contractors were in dispute with the NHS, for example during the NPA's proposed day of action in September.

Meanwhile, Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA) said that the PCPA had no formal position on the action since it was not a trade union.

'However, our members are directly affected by the potential actions and will look to our unions for support,' he said.

'Myself and an increasing number of other pharmacists are partners in general practice and have a financial stake in the success of our surgeries. It is vital a sustainable and viable settlement is negotiated & secured for the future of practices and our patients.'