For GP practices and PCNs
On-site clinical pharmacist cover
Request a pharmacist to work within your GP practice team. Set out the patient-facing and medicines tasks, the sessions needed and the facilities and support available.
Design the session around the required work
Explain whether the pharmacist will see booked patients, answer medicines queries, complete reconciliation work or support a defined project. Identify prescribing requirements separately. A mixed day should have a realistic allocation of time and a clear way of agreeing priorities when new tasks arrive.
Prepare a place within the team
Assign a suitable consulting room or workspace, the required equipment and individual system access. Name the clinical and operational contacts. Arrange an introduction to local workflows before expecting the locum to handle unfamiliar work independently.
Make multi-practice requests specific
Name each practice and the session pattern, as well as the PCN. State how work is allocated, who supervises it and whether travel occurs during paid time. If the role changes site, check that access and facilities exist at the second practice too.
For temporary cover, decide which work can be completed during the booking and which needs a continuing practice owner. Agree the final handover while setting up the assignment.
- Shift postedGP session, 8:30am to 6pm
- Locum appliedChecks already complete
- Terms agreedRate, duties and cancellation in writing
- Booking confirmedBoth sides get the detailsToday
Booking
From request to confirmed booking
Post the shift, review applicants and agree terms in writing. Every step is recorded for you and the locum.
Register your practiceAvoid an undefined backlog request
A request to “clear the medicines backlog” is hard to plan for. Describe the categories of work, the practice procedures, the support available and the time allocated. Agree which tasks require a different clinician or further review. This makes the booking and the end-of-session handover more useful.
Professional requirements for the role
Check GPhC registration in Great Britain or PSNI registration in Northern Ireland. Verify prescribing status when required.
Describe the actual medicines workload, relevant experience and supervision arrangements. Someone with a community pharmacy background or a prescribing qualification may still need support with some general practice work. Check any applicable training and funding requirements separately.
State the country where the service is delivered. Onboarding, local service requirements and any funding conditions need checking for that assignment.
How we approach checks and bookings →| Shift | Day | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Locum GP, morning | Monday | 2 applied |
| Practice nurse | Tuesday | Offered |
| Clinical pharmacist | Wednesday | Booked |
For practices
Every shift in one place
Post clinical pharmacist shifts, see who has applied and confirm bookings from one workspace.
Register your practiceQuestions about booking cover
Can the pharmacist cover a colleague’s whole role?
List the responsibilities you need covered and assess them against the proposed locum’s experience and scope. Two people with the same job title can have quite different experience.
Do we need to provide supervision for an experienced locum?
Specify the clinical support and supervision arrangements appropriate to the duties and any applicable programme requirements. Experience does not remove the need for local contacts, induction and a route for questions beyond the agreed scope.
How much is the booking fee?
£19.99 + VAT per locum for each calendar day worked, including a part-day. Prices exclude VAT. The practice contracts with and pays the locum directly, including agreed expenses, separately from our fee. The same fee applies to GP, pharmacist, pharmacy technician and nursing cover.
Preparing for the work
Official professional guidance
Source review: . Use the current requirements for the country and service involved.
Our editorial policyRegister your practice for on-site clinical pharmacist cover
Register free, then send the dates, duties and support arrangements. We’ll review suitable availability and discuss the booking.