Since 2015, the National Health Service (NHS) has provided financial support for pharmacists to be deployed within general practice (GP) settings to alleviate operational workload pressures. This transition requires these professionals to assume new responsibilities and integrate seamlessly into GP environments. Autonomous prescribing constitutes a fundamental component of the GP pharmacist's duties; nevertheless, empirical understanding remains limited regarding both the systemic integration of pharmacists into GP practices and the distinct viewpoints and experiences of patients receiving care from them. Consequently, the objective of this investigation is to examine how pharmacist independent prescribers (PIPs) perceive their integration into general practice, while concurrently collecting data on patients' perspectives on the clinical care delivered by these pharmacists. A mixed-methods research design was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020, incorporating semi-structured interviews with PIPs (n = 13) and a subsequent questionnaire-based survey to evaluate patients' (n = 77) impressions of pharmacist-led care. Descriptive statistics were utilized to process the quantitative data. For the qualitative components, a thematic analysis approach was applied to both the interview transcripts and the open-ended text comments from the patient surveys. The interviewed independent pharmacist prescribers indicated that they undertake diverse responsibilities, spanning both direct patient-facing clinical duties and administrative, non-clinical tasks. Prominent obstacles to their smooth integration into general practice settings included a widespread lack of clarity about PIPs' clinical capabilities, as well as instances in which they were expected to operate outside their specific clinical competence. From the patient perspective, a large majority expressed satisfaction with their pharmacist consultations and affirmed trust in the medical recommendations provided for their health issues. Conversely, a small segment of the patient cohort (14%) believed a subsequent consultation with a general practitioner would remain necessary following their pharmacist visit, while 11% expressed uncertainty regarding whether additional medical follow-up was required. Pharmacist independent prescribers deliver a broad spectrum of clinical interventions to manage chronic, long-term health conditions, and these services are generally well received and acknowledged by patients. Nonetheless, targeted interventions are required to overcome the identified barriers to PIP integration within GP practices, thereby maximizing the utility of their diverse skill-mix and enhancing patient-centered healthcare delivery.
