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Background: With increasing demands on the National Health Service (NHS), Scottish Government-led pharmacy strategy has prioritised the development and expansion of outpatient services. Pharmacist-led outpatient clinics have been shown to reduce hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes. However, expanding these contemporary models of care has proved challenging, and there are few qualitative data about the factors affecting the provision of these., Aim: This study aimed to explore the enablers and barriers to hospital pharmacists providing outpatient clinics within the largest health authority in Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHSGGC)., Method: Between August and October 2020, one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually using the videoconferencing platform Microsoft Teams ® , with NHSGGC hospital pharmacists who did or did not provide clinics. Audio- and video-recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis., Results: 16 hospital pharmacists were interviewed; 50% were clinic providers and 50% were not. Analysis generated seven themes: clinical or service need, individual factors, clinic structure and processes, additional clinical skills and training, competing priorities, macro-level pharmacy working, and external stakeholder relationships. Many of these were interdependent and had the potential to be an enabler or a barrier to clinic provision, depending on the context or individual., Conclusion: The enablers and barriers to hospital pharmacists providing outpatient clinics are multifaceted, incorporating individual, systematic and professional factors. The implementation of new national professional curricula may help address many of these factors, however prospective research needs to accompany this vision., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objectives: Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is common following myocardial infarction (MI). Pharmacological management of secondary prevention is known to be sub-optimal. Integration of pharmacists into clinical teams improves prescribing and quantitative outcomes. Few data have been published on patient views of pharmacist input. We aimed to explore patient experiences of attending a dedicated pharmacist independent prescriber (PIP)-led clinic., Methods: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Participants were aged ≥18 years with new incident MI and echocardiographically confirmed LVSD. Patients were recruited from three pharmacist-led clinics at point of clinic discharge. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was undertaken., Key Findings: Twelve patients were recruited, median age 67.5 years and ten male. Six core themes were identified: multidisciplinary working; satisfaction; confidence in the pharmacist; comparative care; prescribing behaviours; and monitoring. Pharmacist clinics complemented other established post-MI services, and participants perceived benefits obtained through effective inter-professional working. Participants welcomed dedicated appointment time, the opportunity to ask questions and address problems. Pharmacist explanations of condition and medicines, prescribing at the point of care and monitoring were beneficial and reduced patient stress., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a PIP-led post-MI LVSD clinic delivers a positive initial patient experience. More research is needed to understand the longer-term patient experiences, the impact of such models on medication taking behaviours and the experiences of carers and other members of the multidisciplinary team., (© 2020 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.)