Don't just dispense it: five everyday opportunities to tackle problematic polypharmacy in community pharmacy
12 Oct 2026
Primary Care Pharmacy Theatre
2) Expanding clinical practice
3) Integrated care & neighbourhood health
Problematic polypharmacy, particularly in older people, is a significant and growing concern linked to overprescribing and avoidable medicine-related harm. Many of these patients, or their carers, regularly visit community pharmacies to collect prescriptions, placing pharmacy teams at the forefront of medicines use in the real world.
As trusted and highly accessible healthcare professionals within local communities, community pharmacists and their teams are well positioned to identify potential issues, provide accurate medicines advice, and support safer use of medicines.
Within their scope of practice, community pharmacy teams can take practical steps to address problematic polypharmacy, including initiating conversations with patients and carers and signposting or referring to general practice or practice-based pharmacists for structured medication reviews. This is particularly important for vulnerable groups at higher risk of harm, who often rely heavily on community pharmacy services due to ease of access and continuity of contact.
This interactive session will explore five real-world scenarios where pharmacy teams have the opportunity to initiate meaningful conversations and share decisions with their patients about problematic polypharmacy to reduce harm and ensure medicines align with outcomes that matter most to them
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