Kent LPC secures additional funding for GP CPCS Implementation

Kent LPC has secured significant additional local funding to support the implementation of the GP Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (GP CPCS) across the Kent and Medway area, where there are 196 GP practices and 326 community pharmacies.

Through regular, sometimes weekly, meetings with their local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and other members of primary care, Kent LPC was able to explore the topic of local funding for GP CPCS implementation and kickstart the conversation with their CCG about the service’s potential, if deployment was accelerated by additional local funding, to release much needed capacity into GP practices.

GP CPCS implementation is a priority on the CCG’s agenda and to progress this Kent LPC has fortnightly meetings with the CCG Primary Care Transformation team and the NHS SE coordinator. Kent LPC has also volunteered the leadership and support of community pharmacy.

Over the course of several meetings between Kent LPC and the CCG’s Associate Director of Primary Care Transformation, a plan about how to increase the involvement of GP practices with GP CPCS was produced. As part of this plan, every GP surgery within the Primary Care Network received support from the Access Improvement Programme Fund to cover the training and backfill costs for the service.

Following the suggestion of Kent LPC’s Chief Executive Officer, Shilpa Shah, the LPC would also receive a percentage of this funding to help pharmacies prepare for the service and to train pharmacists to support surgeries ready to go live.

Shilpa Shah, commenting on Kent LPC’s success in securing this additional funding, said:

“It has been a challenging year for pharmacies and GP practices alike, but GP CPCS is a great opportunity for pharmacies to support their GP colleagues whilst providing better integrated care to patients.”

Alistair Lindsay, Associate Director of Primary Care Transformation, Kent & Medway CCG, said:

“I am pleased that the CCG is able to work closely with Kent LPC to support practices in the roll out of GP CPCS across Kent & Medway and continue to develop the relationships between general practice and community pharmacy colleagues.

As a result of this extra funding, the LPC will be able to train pharmacists to support surgeries in Kent and Medway that are about to go live with GP CPCS. This will help to ensure the smooth implementation of the service and to minimise any teething problems.”

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