Clinical Pharmacist

NHS England invited us to be part of a nationwide case study about clinical pharmacists in GP practices. It features The Surgery, where our clinical pharmacist Rachel Hall has been in place for over 11 years. The film linked below explains the role of clinical pharmacists in general practice, clarifying when and why patients might see a clinical pharmacist:


Rachel Hall  
BPharm  MRPharmS  PGcert IPresc
Cardiff University 1997

I worked in community pharmacy and intermediate care before joining the practice full-time in 2006 after qualifying as an independent prescriber. My main area of specialism is diabetes but I also see patients with other long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, COPD and asthma. I see all newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics and also those needing conversion to insulin injections. As well as running daily clinics I work as a Clinical Manager within the practice. I am often asked to speak at conferences about this unique role and a case study was included in the Pharmacy White Paper published in 2008. I have also written a chapter about Type 2 diabetes for a pharmacy textbook and am a regular columnist in the Clinical Pharmacist journal. In my spare time, I enjoy cycling, skiing, cooking and exploring different countries.


Kathleen Pritchard
BSc (Hons) MRPharmS PGcert IPresc FHEA
University of Strathclyde 1994

After graduating, I initially worked in Community Pharmacy and was involved in one of the first funded projects to look at the role of pharmacists within GP surgeries. I have now worked in general practice for more than 12 years and qualified as a prescriber specialising in hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in 2012. I also have a keen interest in reviewing complex polypharmacy in Care Home residents. I work at the practice 3 days a week; the other half of my week is spent teaching undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Bath. I have been involved in pharmacist education both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for many years and am passionate about the development of my profession. I love the variability of general practice and the opportunity to work closely with other healthcare professionals and talk to so many different people. In my spare time, I enjoy running and have just completed my first marathon although I’m not sure I will be doing many more.