A Clinical Pharmacist’s View: What Working in a PCN Is Really Like

• 6th February 2026

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Working as a Clinical Pharmacist in a PCN offers a shift away from reactive dispensing towards proactive, patient-centred care. For many pharmacists, it brings greater autonomy and long-term clinical impact. In practice, whether the role succeeds depends less on the title and more on the level of structure, support, and integration provided.

• What does working in a PCN actually feel like?
• What does a PCN Clinical Pharmacist do in practice?
• Is the clinical autonomy worth the pressure?
• Does practice integration make or break the role?
• What about admin workload and progression?
• Is working in a PCN worth it?

Key takeaways

• Support matters: Autonomy only works when supervision and escalation routes are clear.
• Integration drives outcomes: Poor embedding into practices is a leading cause of attrition.
• Admin is unavoidable: Protected time is essential to maintain quality and safety.
• Progression varies: Career development depends heavily on employer commitment.

What does working in a PCN actually feel like?

For most pharmacists, working as a Clinical Pharmacist in a PCN feels like a balance between clinical responsibility and operational pressure. The PCN Clinical Pharmacist role is often described as largely patient-facing, focused on structured medication reviews and medicines optimisation. In reality, it is a hybrid role combining clinical decision-making, patient communication, and administrative workload.

This leads many new starters to ask, what does a PCN Clinical Pharmacist do day to day? The answer varies significantly between networks.

Sonia, Co-Head of Training and Senior Clinical Pharmacist at Core Prescribing Solutions, describes the transition from community pharmacy:

In community, my day was reactive. In a PCN, it’s proactive. You’re managing long-term risk, not just today’s prescription. Without clear structure, admin can quickly take over.”

What does a PCN Clinical Pharmacist do in practice?

A Clinical Pharmacist in primary care typically supports multiple practices and patient cohorts. While responsibilities differ by PCN, most roles include:

Activity	Frequency
Structured medication review clinics	Core responsibility (daily)
Long-term condition support	Regular
Prescription and medicines queries	Daily or ad hoc
Care home medication rounds	Weekly or service-led
Urgent workload and triage	Ad hoc

Understanding what does a PCN Clinical Pharmacist do beyond clinics is essential. Documentation, coding, and NHS England ARRS reporting form a substantial part of the workload and are often underestimated during recruitment.

Is the clinical autonomy worth the pressure?

Clinical autonomy is one of the most attractive aspects of working as a Clinical Pharmacist in a PCN. Independent clinics and direct patient impact can be professionally rewarding.

However, autonomy without support quickly becomes risk. Pharmacists moving into the PCN Clinical Pharmacist role often report early imposter syndrome, particularly when transitioning from settings with routine second checks.

You go from having someone double-check everything to being the final decision-maker. Without supervision, that can feel exposed, Sonia explains.

Clear clinical supervision, peer support, and escalation routes are critical. These factors directly influence PCN Clinical Pharmacist job satisfaction and long-term retention.

Does practice integration make or break the role?

Yes. Integration is one of the strongest predictors of whether a Clinical Pharmacist in primary care thrives or burns out. In well-run PCNs, pharmacists are embedded into multidisciplinary teams and treated as clinicians. In weaker setups, they are pulled into ad hoc tasks and conflicting priorities.

Poor integration leads to role confusion, frustration, and turnover. From a system perspective, understanding the role of Clinical Pharmacists in PCNs means going beyond recruitment and investing in consistent governance and role clarity. Royal Pharmaceutical Society workforce commentary highlights inconsistency as a common reason pharmacists reconsider PCN roles.

What about admin workload and progression?

Administrative workload is frequently underestimated. Without protected time, pharmacists struggle to balance documentation with clinical quality, increasing safety risks.

Career progression can also be unclear. While national frameworks exist, development often depends on local priorities. At Core Prescribing Solutions, we view the PCN Clinical Pharmacist role as a long-term career, not a fixed-term placement, supporting progression into senior and specialist roles.

Is working in a PCN worth it?

For the right pharmacist in the right environment, yes. Working as a Clinical Pharmacist in a PCN can deliver improved work-life balance, stronger patient relationships, and meaningful clinical impact.

Clinical pharmacists who thrive are those who receive proper integration, supervision, and role clarity from day one. Where PCNs invest in their clinical pharmacy workforce, patient outcomes and practice stability improve.

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