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Cost of Outsourced Clinical Pharmacist Support for GP Practices and PCNs
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- How much does outsourced clinical pharmacist support cost?
- What affects the cost of outsourced clinical pharmacist support?
- What should be included in a clinical pharmacist quote?
- How we price clinical pharmacist support
- ARRS rules for outsourced and remote pharmacist services
The cost of outsourced clinical pharmacist support is not set at one national rate. GP practices, PCNs and GP Federations are normally quoted according to the pharmacist capacity required, the work included, the delivery model and the level of management provided.
Pricing may be based on hours, sessions, days, whole-time equivalent capacity or a fixed monthly service.
Key takeaways
- There is no standard outsourced clinical pharmacist cost because pricing depends on capacity, clinical scope and delivery requirements.
- Quotes should be compared on what is included, such as supervision, governance, reporting, continuity.
How much does outsourced clinical pharmacist support cost?
The exact clinical pharmacist support cost depends on what the GP practice or PCN needs.
Providers may price support through:
- An hourly or daily rate
- A fixed number of weekly sessions
- An agreed whole-time equivalent allocation
- A monthly managed service fee
- A fixed price for a defined project or backlog
- A wider PCN contract covering several practices
A quote should state how much clinical capacity is included and what the pharmacist will deliver. A low hourly rate may not represent the lowest overall cost if supervision, reporting, onboarding or continuity have to be managed separately.
An accurate quote normally requires information about:
- The number of practices and registered patients
- Required hours, sessions or whole-time equivalent capacity
- The clinical work to be delivered
- Whether support will be remote, in-practice or hybrid
- Existing pharmacist and pharmacy technician capacity
- System access and onboarding requirements
- Whether the service is intended to meet ARRS requirements
What affects the cost of outsourced clinical pharmacist support?
1. The amount of pharmacist capacity required
The main cost factor is how much pharmacist time the organisation needs.
This may be calculated as:
- Hours per week
- Sessions per week
- Days per month
- Whole-time equivalent capacity
- A fixed period of backlog support
A PCN-wide service covering several practices will usually require a different model from limited support for one practice.
2. The clinical work included
The clinical pharmacist cost for GP practices will vary according to the complexity and range of work required.
Clinical support may include:
- Structured Medication Reviews
- Long-term condition medication reviews
- Prescribing queries
- Repeat prescribing support
- Medicines reconciliation
- High-risk medicine monitoring
- Prescribing audits
- Care home medicines support
- Patient consultations
- Backlog clearance
A service focused on a limited workflow should not be compared directly with one delivering a broader clinical pharmacist role.
3. Pharmacist experience and prescribing status
The required experience can affect pricing.
A service may need:
- A pharmacist experienced in NHS primary care
- An independent prescriber
- A senior or advanced practice pharmacist
- Experience in a specific clinical area
- Experience supervising other pharmacists
- Knowledge of EMIS, SystmOne or local prescribing pathways
The role should be matched to the work rather than priced only around the lowest available pharmacist rate.
4. Remote, in-practice or hybrid delivery
A remote clinical pharmacist cost may differ from an in-practice model, but remote delivery is not automatically cheaper.
Pricing can still be affected by:
- Required clinical hours
- System access
- Onboarding
- Patient consultation requirements
- Governance
- Supervision
- Travel for any on-site delivery
- Local meeting or multidisciplinary team requirements
The appropriate model depends on the service, patient group and practice workflow.
5. What the provider manages
The price may cover more than pharmacist time.
A managed service could include:
- Recruitment and professional checks
- Onboarding
- Clinical supervision
- GP clinical supervision arrangements
- Training and professional development
- Performance management
- Governance and incident management
- Activity and outcome reporting
- Account management
- Technology
- Absence or replacement cover
- Reporting and management support
Practices and PCNs should check which elements are included and which remain their responsibility.
Need a clear cost model for outsourced Clinical Pharmacist support?
Discuss your service requirementsWhat should be included in a clinical pharmacist quote?
Clear clinical pharmacist service pricing should show exactly what the organisation is buying.
The quote should confirm:
- How many hours, sessions or whole-time equivalent capacity are included
- Which practices or patient groups will be supported
- What clinical work will be delivered
- Whether delivery is remote, in-practice or hybrid
- Who provides clinical and professional supervision
- How onboarding and system access will be managed
- Whether sickness and absence cover are included
- What reporting will be provided
- How performance and governance will be managed
- Whether there are separate setup, technology or travel costs
The service agreement should also explain how changes to capacity or scope will affect the price.
Can ARRS fund outsourced clinical pharmacist support?
A PCN may be able to use the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme for eligible outsourced clinical pharmacist services, provided the arrangement meets the Network Contract DES requirements.
For 2026/27, the maximum annual reimbursement amounts for a clinical pharmacist are:
| Area | Maximum annual reimbursement |
| National | £71,725 |
| Inner London | £83,040 |
| Outer London | £79,665 |
These figures are maximum reimbursement amounts, not standard provider prices.
Where a pharmacist is supplied through an external organisation, the eligible contribution is based on the appropriately apportioned.
This means ARRS clinical pharmacist funding may not automatically reimburse the provider’s total invoice dependant on the service provider. Charges for areas such as management, technology, commercial margin or additional service support may be added as an additional cost dependant on the provider.
The PCN should confirm eligibility with its commissioner and finance lead before relying on ARRS reimbursement.
Comparing outsourced support with recruiting your own Clinical Pharmacist?
Discuss the right delivery modelARRS rules for outsourced and remote pharmacist services
Using an external or remote provider does not remove the requirements attached to the clinical pharmacist role.
For an arrangement to qualify, the PCN must be able to show that:
- The pharmacist meets the relevant qualification and training requirements
- The full clinical pharmacist role is being delivered
- The pharmacist works as part of the PCN multidisciplinary team
- The service includes patient-facing clinical activity
- The pharmacist provides continuity rather than changing every shift
- The arrangement is intended to last for at least six months
- Appropriate clinical and professional supervision is in place
- The service supports chronic disease care and wider primary care integration
A pay-as-you-go arrangement is not eligible for reimbursement under the current guidance as a minimum of 6 month service is needed to meet the network DES.
Where a pharmacist is still completing the approved training pathway, the role must generally be provided at a minimum of 0.5 whole-time equivalent for a period of 6 montgs.
The commissioner and PCN must be satisfied that the service meets the full Network Contract DES requirements. Eligibility depends on the service being delivered, not simply whether the pharmacist is employed directly or supplied by a provider.
Outsourced versus directly employed pharmacist costs
The clinical pharmacist cost for PCNs should be compared against the full cost of direct employment, not salary alone.
Direct employment may require the PCN to manage:
- Salary
- Employer National Insurance
- Pension contributions
- Recruitment
- Onboarding
- Training and CPD
- Clinical supervision
- HR and performance management
- Sickness and absence cover
- Reporting and management
- Technology and systems
- Service management
An outsourced service may include:
- Pharmacist capacity
- Recruitment and professional checks
- Onboarding support
- Clinical supervision
- Governance
- Performance management
- Reporting
- Replacement or continuity arrangements
- Account management
- Technology
These elements are not included by every provider. They should be confirmed before comparing prices.
Questions to ask before accepting a quote
GP practices and PCNs should ask:
- How many hours, sessions or whole-time equivalent capacity are included?
- What clinical work and patient groups are covered?
- Which parts of the fee may be eligible for ARRS reimbursement?
- Are supervision, governance and reporting included?
- Are onboarding, technology, travel or setup charged separately?
- Who will manage performance and clinical escalation?
- How will activity and outcomes be reported?
The provider should be able to give clear answers before the service starts.
Core Prescribing Solutions Insight: What we see in primary care
The lowest hourly quote is not always the lowest-cost option. If supervision, onboarding, reporting, continuity or governance are excluded, the PCN may still have to provide significant internal resource. The more useful comparison is the total cost of delivering a safe, stable and accountable clinical pharmacist service.
Expert comment from our CEO and qualified clinical pharmacist:
When practices compare clinical pharmacist providers, they need to understand exactly what the quote includes. Pharmacist time is only one part of delivery. Supervision, governance, continuity, implementation and reporting all affect the real cost and quality of the service.
Adeem Azhar, [CEO, MPharm, IPres], Core Prescribing Solutions
How we price clinical pharmacist support
At Core Prescribing Solutions, we price clinical pharmacist support around the capacity, clinical scope and delivery model each organisation requires.
Our proposals clearly set out:
- The clinical pharmacist capacity being provided
- The work and patient pathways included
- Whether delivery will be remote, in-practice or hybrid
- The supervision and governance provided
- The reporting and account management included
- Any separately costs if applicable
We provide a managed service rather than an undefined allocation of pharmacist time. This gives GP practices and PCNs clearer oversight of delivery, performance and cost.
Speak to our team for a scoped proposal and a clear breakdown of what is included.
FAQs
Get a Clinical Pharmacist service costed around your actual workload
Core Prescribing Solutions can scope outsourced Clinical Pharmacist support around your required capacity, clinical workstreams, governance and delivery model. Whether you need defined practice-level support, PCN-wide capacity or a remote, onsite or hybrid service, we can help you understand what should be included and build a model around your operational priorities.
Discuss your clinical pharmacy costs
