Health professionals trained in the preparation and dispensing of medicines. Regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, they dispense P (pharmacy-only) and POM (prescription-only medicines) products; those working in community (retail) pharmacies also sell over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, providing, where appropriate, advice on their use. (See also MEDICINES.)

Pharmacists work in hospitals (NHS and private) and in community pharmacies, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry where they conduct research and prepare and test pharmaceutical products. They have particular expertise on the use of drugs: for instance, the way in which one medicinal compound can affect another and their possible adverse effects; and they advise doctors and patients on these aspects. The NHS is also encouraging community pharmacists to offer the public advice on the treatment of simple illnesses such as coughs, colds, headaches and stomach upsets. Hospital pharmacists are salaried employees of the NHS but community pharmacists enter into contract with the service, the terms of which are negotiated centrally between pharmacists’ representatives and the health departments.