Interdisciplinary working between community pharmacists and community nurses: the views of community pharmacists

Changing roles within primary care have been heralded by the implementation of nurse prescribing and the need to maximize skills within the existing workforce. This paper describes the views of community pharmacists regarding nurse prescribing and interdisciplinary working in primary care. Limited contact was reported between community pharmacists and prescribing nurses which contrasted with the reported frequency of contact with other health professionals. The community pharmacists reported positive views regarding teamworking and nurse prescribing which it is suggested provides a readiness to develop interdisciplinary working which hitherto had foundered on lack of contact and in consequence insufficient understanding of roles and a shared view of primary care.