Why PCN pharmacy Feels Busy But Isn’t Delivering Value: 5 Structural Traps

• 31st December 2025

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

PCN pharmacy value is not defined by task volume. It is defined by measurable reduction in GP workload and improved patient safety through medicines optimisation. When clinical pharmacist roles in primary care are deployed well, they manage complex conditions and resolve medicines-related queries without defaulting back to the GP. Without clear workforce planning, however, these roles become saturated with process tasks that deliver poor return on ARRS investment.

• Trap 1: Undefined clinical purpose
• Trap 2: Activity measured instead of impact
• Trap 3: Governance gaps
• Trap 4: Admin saturation
• Trap 5: The metric illusion
• Moving from busy to valuable
• FAQs

Key takeaways

• Outcomes over activity: High task volume does not equal value. If GP workload isn’t falling, the team is focused on the wrong activity.
• Governance is critical: Without clear scope, clinical pharmacists drift into administrative “safety netting” rather than clinical decision-making.
• Skill mix matters: Using high-band clinical pharmacists for operational processing is an expensive inefficiency best handled by Pharmacy Technicians.

Many Clinical Directors share the same frustration. The primary care workforce is fully staffed and working hard, yet the appointment book remains full and the duty doctor is overwhelmed. This paradox, where the pharmacy team is “busy” but PCN pharmacy value feels low, is rarely a reflection of work ethic. It is a symptom of system design.

We often see PCNs hire fantastic pharmacists, then drown them in admin. Real value comes when you design the system to let clinicians grow and develop and support them in their career.

Adeem Azhar, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer – Core Prescribing Solutions

To unlock the potential of clinical pharmacist roles in primary care, PCNs must fix five structural traps that break the link between activity and impact.

Trap 1: Undefined clinical purpose

The most common failure is unclear clinical scope. Hiring a pharmacist to “help with medicines” turns them into a catch-all for every drug-related query. Scope creep follows. Instead of running Structured Medication Reviews, clinical pharmacists spend time firefighting acute queries that admin teams could manage. PCNs need a defined strategy aligned to ARRS support that sets out which patient cohorts the clinical pharmacy team owns and what work should not sit with clinical pharmacists.

Trap 2: Activity measured instead of impact

It is easier to measure activity than impact. Many PCNs track “tasks completed”, which can look strong on paper while failing to reduce GP workload. Processing large volumes of simple repeats is high activity but low value. In contrast, fewer high-quality medication reviews for frail patients can prevent admissions and reduce repeat medicines queries. This is where medicines optimisation value is created. Structured approaches, including NHS Structured Medication Reviewsguidance, ensure depth rather than volume drives impact.

Trap 3: Governance gaps

Clinical pharmacists are registered clinicians who require supervision. A common error is placing them into practices with no support beyond an already overstretched GP. When governance is weak, clinical pharmacists become risk-averse. Minor issues are escalated “just in case”, duplicating work rather than reducing it. Over time, this is how clinical pharmacist roles add pressure instead of removing it. Governance must be practical, with clear escalation routes and prescribing boundaries aligned to GPhC standards.

Trap 4: Admin saturation

This is a skill-mix failure. Many PCNs still have Band 7 or 8a clinical pharmacists spending significant time on tasks that Pharmacy Technicians in GP teams could manage. When clinical pharmacist roles are underutilised and focused on discharge summaries with no clinical changes or routine chasing, the PCN loses value. A tiered workforce is essential. Pharmacy Technicians should lead operational medicines processes, freeing clinical pharmacists to reduce GP workload through complex reviews and medicines optimisation.

Trap 5: The metric illusion

Many boards focus on the wrong data. If dashboards only show appointment counts or tasks completed, they miss the outcome story. Effective primary care workforce planning requires outcome-led measures. Are clinical pharmacists reducing polypharmacy risk? Are medicines-related queries resolved without GP input? Without this, it is impossible to demonstrate healthcare roles ROI.

Moving from busy to valuable

If your PCN pharmacy team feels busy but GP pressure remains unchanged, audit your system and ensure ARRS investment is delivering. The answer is rarely to work harder. It is to work with clearer purpose, better skill mix, and outcome-led measurement.

FAQs