EXCLUSIVE: As part of our new major series exploring the impact of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) on the pharmacy landscape, we explore practice pharmacist staffing levels in different areas.

Through the ARRS, pharmacists are taking on wide responsibilities such as medication reviews, patient consultations and prescribing skills. They are seen as an invaluable member of the team and appear to be among the most content profession within general practice.

But community pharmacists have raised concerns about the impact of the scheme on their own workforce pressures, with some suggesting that ARRS should be used to deliver services like medication reviews through community pharmacy.

Here we explore which integrated care boards (ICBs) have the most pharmacists working in general practice and PCNs, as well as the specific pharmacy roles employed and how they are employed.

Our analysis and mapping of official workforce numbers shows that Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) has the most full-time equivalent pharmacists per patient working in general practice and primary care networks (PCNs).

This is inversely mirrored by the number of patients per pharmacists, with practice/PCN pharmacists in more rural areas potentially responsible for more patients than those in the Midlands and more urban areas.

Pharmacists make up the highest proportion of the general practice pharmacy workforce, as well as being the most popular ARRS role. 

But many primary care networks and GP surgeries also employ a sizeable number of pharmacy technicians - currently the fourth most recruited role.

The recent workforce report produced by our publisher Cogora reported that GP practices across England are struggling to recruit pharmacists because of local ‘competition’ and issues related to pay.

Survey findings within the white paper suggest there is a pharmacist vacancy rate of 32% across practices in England, as well as a 16% shortfall of GPs and 23% shortfall of nurses.

Cogora's workforce report also highlighted concerns that practices who are struggling financially are unable to offer competitive salaries or pay rises, and also cannot update their premises to hold more staff.

Our analysis of official data shows the majority of pharmacists are funded by PCNs rather than being employed by GP surgeries directly - suggesting that their roles are enabled by ARRS funding.