Is a pharmacist as qualified as a doctor?

[Tootiredmummyof3]

Really stupid question I know and I assume they're not but I don't know. DD1 was told by GP to go to the pharmacy for an ear infection (despite the hospital consultant saying you must be seen by a GP as soon as you have a problem). They referred her back to the GP saying the infection was too severe.
DS likely has an ear or throat infection (non verbal so not sure which) and again get referred to the pharmacy. I don't mind but what actually are they qualified for to do? If they are being used so much will GPs no longer be needed.
Just for the record because I'm sure someone will ask yes I did speak to the receptionist and tell them DD needs to be seen by a GP and the discussion became a bit heated but was still refused a doctor appointment.
Anyway just wondering if they are as qualified as a doctor in which case why have a doctor? Or if they have x amount of medical training but it's different?

In my experience GP’s don’t really pay much attention to what consultants say. One of my DC has severe food allergies and sees a consultant regularly, when I mentioned these allergies at a GP appointment the response was “allergies, what allergies? Who told you that?”. So despite there being years and years worth of allergy clinic notes on the medical records, the GP wasn’t even aware of them and almost prescribed dangerous medication. Also our consultant advice is to carry two EpiPens at all times, which is recorded on the medical records, but every.single.time for years when I phone for a repeat prescription I have to argue about why it should be a prescription for two and not one. They don’t pay attention.

Seeing a pharmacist is a much easier/quicker option in a lot of cases, including where children are concerned - I use ours frequently. One thing I do though if it's for my children, is call the pharmacy first, outline the issue, give the age of the child. The pharmacist will then tell you if they can help, or if you need a GP. This is helpful because then I call the GP saying that the pharmacist has referred me back to the GP (if true). Stops a lot of wasted time.

@JaneBoleynViscountessRochford they may not have read the consultant’s advice but I would expect them to follow it when it was pointed out to them. Even if it’s only because they’d have no defence if the ignored specialist advice and then something went wrong.

By the time I had visited a pharmacist (or even phoned one) all the GP appointments would be gone as we have to phone them at 8am. Would work ok if not urgent.

Pharmacists have to study for a masters degree in pharmacy for 4 years. Then they work under a senior pharmacist's supervision for a year and take their pre-registration exams. Only then are they fully qualified.
Many also take a post graduate 2 or 3 year post grad diploma and independent prescriber courses.

I've had this sort of thing happen to me. I went to the pharmacist and asked their advice about some worrying side-effects of the medication I was taking.

They said to stop taking the medicine immediately, and go straight to the GP surgery as I needed to be seen urgently, that day. I spoke to the doctors' receptionist and said that I'd seen a pharmacist ten minutes ago who said I needed to see a GP urgently, that afternoon, and it couldn't wait.
The receptionist smiled, crossed her arms and said no. She told me to ring in the morning and ask again. It took five days before I got to actually speak to a doctor and that was only a telephone consultation.

You would think really, wouldn't you, that if a pharmacist takes one look at you and immediately sends you straight to the doctor, the receptionist might just think about it and realise that perhaps it might be serious enough for the doctor to at least be told I was there.

@RafaistheKingofClay Thank you. Yes, I'm sure hospital and high street ones are different. But I meant in my initial post it's a lot less different than disciplines of doctors. Like GP, cardiac surgeon, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, psychiatrist etc.

Only minor ones. Eg they can dispense 3 days of antibiotics for UTIs (a bit like a nurse can triage that you’ve got a UTI if you bring in a urine sample) but i only have one kidney and have some renal disease so I need 5-7 days stronger antibiotics if I have a UTI. So I say that to the receptionist and insist I see a GP.

@Tootiredmummyof3 your DD needs to say what the consultant said. It’s not about how they’re qualified, it’s what they’re allowed to dispense without a prescription

And as I said in my previous post, it is really not much different than disciplines of doctors. As a pharmacist who worked in paediatric oncology, my knowledge on an area such as cardiac disease in adults/post surgical care in adults was limited to that learnt earlier in my career - exactly the same way as the oncologist I worked with would have struggled dealing with an adult having a heart attack or a knee replacement!

The roles are just as varied and specialised.

Pharmacy is a 5 year journey to a Masters degree and pre registration year; after which they are qualified to prescribe. This is a new way of qualifying, changed in the last couple of years. I think the cohort that finish their pre reg in 2027 are the first to be able to prescribe without further training as has been the case in the past.

They aren't just dispensing drugs and they don't just have knowledge of minor illnesses. The knowledge they have about the human body, its ailments and the way drugs interact is immense. They definitely have their place.

The consultant will have written to the GP to state this.
When booking an appointment, if refused, ask them to check the consultant letter.

We have similar. Our consultant has written that DC has ear drops not oral antibiotics. We also have to ask the GP to check the letter.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/how-pharmacies-can-help/

Pharmacy first allows pharmacists to prescibe some antibiotics and antivirals. So yes ear infection would be first call usually.

This.Pharmacists have extensive training and education in all types of drugs and medication.
They are highly qualified specialists in their field

Some pharmacists have undertaken extra training and have extra qualifications to be able to prescribe. I booked an appointment at our local pharmacy - i needed to explain the nature of the issue first, so they could determine if it was something they could help with. In my case i had an ear infection. The pharmacist gave me a spray to deal with the outer ear infection, but based on what i described thought there was an inner ear infection too, so also gave antibiotics. The appointment was equally as thorough as one with the GP, and in some ways more thorough. The pharmacist told me that they could help if it was something they could look at and deal with straight away. If the issue meant tests of any kind, or a referral was needed then they couldn't help and it needed to go to the GP. Ours says they can help with minor ailments and lists ears, uti, skin and eye issues. I asked if they can see children and was told yes. (personally anything for the eye I would go to the optician, but I can understand that not everyone has a regular optician)

@prescribingmum thank you. I'm learning a lot here! I guess I made the wrong assumption that hospitals just had lots of pharmacists but not necessarily ones so much specialised for each department.

But they do not prescribe these drugs. That is the job of the oncologist.

I hate comparison threads like these because you can't compare the different roles because they serve different purposes. A pharmacist is not a doctor. They do not do the same thing as a doctor. A doctor is not a dentist. They do not do the same thing as a dentist. A dentist is not a vet... etc. They may overlap in knowledge in certain areas but they are still their own thing. Not better or worse. There is no reason to hype up pharmacist to make them sound like they are as good as a doctor at being a doctor. That is not their role. They are highly qualified professionals in their own area of healthcare. And not every element of healthcare requires a doctor's input (in fact there are many areas doctors have little knowledge) which is why these other HCPs are able to provide these services.

In the UK there are probably a small number of specialist pharmacists that do.

Yes they do but only when consultant oncologist has decided which treatment

As I have repeatedly stated on this thread, they do and it is exactly what I did for a number of years.

@fiftiesmum we would decide on the course of treatment alongside the consultant oncologists. For many cases, there is a standard protocol that is followed once diagnosed. For more unusual cases, both pharmacists and medics research papers, discuss with colleagues and decide on a treatment plan in a meeting (specialist nurses are also involved here).

I really wish people would stop commenting with certainty if they have no personal experience

Totally different qualifications and knowledge base, pharmacist training isn’t exactly simple but it’s not a medical degree, doesn’t mean they know nothing. Community pharmacists can prescribe for seven illness’s at present, only two of which don’t apply to treating children , pharmacists in secondary health care , I’m talking mental health in particular as this is the area I know, can prescribe much more

Yes it is hilarious that people think they know more than pharmacists themselves what pharmacists can and can't do.

I am having my BP monitored and supervised by a clinical pharmacist,she is excellent.

Community pharmacists can prescribe for seven conditions under the NHS but that doesn't mean they can only prescribe for seven conditions privately. It depends on their qualifications.

Absolutely, but given people will generally use pharmacies on an nhs basis, it’s simpler to say they can prescribe for the 7 conditions, not taking anything away from the fact they can prescribe more