Working with GPs

Published on: 22nd July 2013 | Updated on: 24th April 2023

Community pharmacy teams need to work closely with colleagues in general practices in order to provide the best possible care for patients. Effective collaborative working is helped by GP and pharmacy teams understanding how their colleagues work on a day to day basis.

The below guides aim to support GPs and community pharmacists in developing more effective working relationships and in turn, improve primary care services for patients:

Community Pharmacy England and BMA GPC publication: The community pharmacy – A guide for general practitioners and practice staff (May 2019) (PDF)

The GP practice – a guide for community pharmacists and pharmacy staff (August 2013) (PDF)


Changes to the CPCF 2022/23

Community Pharmacy England Briefing 034/22: Briefing for general practice teams – changes to the NHS community pharmacy contract in 2022/23
This Community Pharmacy England Briefing provides information for general practice teams on the changes to the community pharmacy contract in 2022/23, including the revised Pharmacy Quality Scheme.

Advanced Services
Repeat Dispensing/eRD

Contractors should talk to their local GP practices about the CPCF requirement for pharmacies to highlight the benefits of repeat dispensing/eRD to appropriate patients.

NHS England published Electronic Repeat Dispensing – Guidance in June 2015. This document clearly describes how eRD works and is aimed at CCGs and GP practice teams. Contractors may want to use the document in discussions with local GP practices about repeat dispensing/eRD.

The joint Community Pharmacy England/NHS Employers/BMA GP Committee guidance for GP practices on repeat dispensing may also be helpful to use in discussions.

Community Pharmacy England has developed a repeat dispensing/eRD template letter which can be used by contractors to increase a GP practice team’s awareness of repeat dispensing/eRD.

The following presentation can also be used in discussions with GP practices in order to demonstrate the similarity of repeat prescribing and EPS repeat dispensing and the additional benefits of using repeat dispensing:

Comparison of repeat dispensing and repeat prescribing (PowerPoint)

Comparison of repeat dispensing and repeat prescribing (PDF)

NHS Digital has also developed a series of materials to boost the usage of eRD which contractors could highlight to GP practice teams:

Clinical codes for GP practices

GP practices can use the following clinical codes to record patient consent for information sharing for the repeat dispensing/eRD service:

Patient consent given for repeat dispensing information transfer:

  • CTV3 code: XaKRX
  • V2 code: 9Nd3.
  • SNOMED CT code: 416224003

Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)
Related resources

Community Pharmacy England webpage – Joint working with GPs

Community Pharmacy England webpage – The GP contract

NHS England webpage – The GP contract

Community Pharmacy England Briefing 008/19: A five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement the NHS Long Term Plan (February 2019)
At the end of January 2019, NHS England published a five-year framework for GP services agreed with the British Medical Association (BMA) General Practitioners Committee (GPC) in England and supported by Government. It implements commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan for changes to the GP contract and sets the direction for primary care for the next five years.

This Community Pharmacy England Briefing sets out a summary of the key aspects of the framework, which are of most relevance to community pharmacy teams and Local Pharmaceutical Committees.

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