An exciting opportunity is now available for pharmacists to work in GP practices and this is being actively promoted nationwide by the NHS Clinical Pharmacists in GP practice scheme across all four countries in the UK.
The new indemnity scheme developed specifically for pharmacists who are working predominantly in a GP surgery by the PDA, covers all the activities that pharmacists involved in this scheme will be involved in. In addition to the indemnity, PDA membership provides a very wide range of non-insurance related benefits that pharmacists working in this exciting area – perhaps for the first time will find invaluable.
The PDAs GP Practice based membership scheme will provide a pharmacist with cover for clinical diagnosis and prescribing where required. The cover uses as its foundation the clinical and senior clinical job profile that has been developed by the NHS for clinical pharmacists working in GP practice.
Its main underwriting principle is extremely uncomplicated and covers pharmacists working in the following settings;
- GP surgery
- Clinic/ Walk in centre
- Hospice/Care Home
- Accident and Emergency Department
- Out of Hours service connected to a GP surgery
- The cover is also automatically provided for work in other settings as part of a portfolio career such as working in a community or hospital pharmacy setting either as a locum or as an employee.
If you are undertaking a role that appears on a job specification that is either NHS approved or capable of being NHS approved and which would be considered as a role appropriate for a pharmacist by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and for which you are appropriately qualified, then you are covered.
However, whilst the scheme has been designed to support the NHS programme, it is suitable for any pharmacist primarily working clinically in a GP practice whether via the NHS funded scheme, or working clinically in a GP surgery in some other capacity. Cover is available to all pharmacists to include those working in GP practices for the first time and newly qualified pharmacists.
Cover under this policy excludes:
- Independent prescribing (Cover is available on the “with IP Cover” policy)
- Call centre activity to include NHS 24/7 or NHS 111 or similar
- Business consultancy where indemnity is required for commercial liability risks
- Professional Indemnity for non pharmacy related Covid 19 work (this pursuant to the Coronavirus Act 2020 would be covered by a state scheme)