The employment of pharmacists in GP practices has resulted in improvements in the quality of prescribing, according to researchers from the University of Manchester.

Their analysis of prescribing in practices with and without pharmacists between September 2015 and December 2019 revealed a drop in the number of medicines prescribed, including opioids, antibiotics and anxiolytics.

Researchers also found “statistically significant reductions” in the total cost of medicines per 1,000 patients, while the number of practices employing a pharmacist increased from 3.1 per cent to 20.5 per cent.

The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice, concluded that although it was “limited by practice-level data,” it supported “the hypothesis that clinical pharmacist implementation results in improvements in prescribing quality.”

The research is a boon for general practice given NHS England’s ambition to increase the number of pharmacists in practices through the additional roles reimbursement scheme.

The scheme has been criticised by some community pharmacy leaders who believe it has contributed to a workforce crisis in the sector.

As of December 31 last year, 5,494 pharmacists were employed in practices in England.

The study said international evidence on the impact of pharmacists in practices on prescribing outcomes was “mixed.”

However, the researchers said that in England, there was evidence GP pharmacists “improve access to appointments for people with long-term conditions, facilitate deprescribing and reduce medication errors.”