Best Practice Birmingham returns to the NEC on 7 and 8 October 2026, and for many GP practices, PCNs and ICBs it is where a shortlist of clinical pharmacy providers takes shape. This guide gives you the questions that show whether a service is clinically governed and easy to run, so you leave the hall with a shortlist you can trust.
The Virtual Pharmacist team is visiting the show this year without a stand. To talk about clinical pharmacy support for your practice, PCN or ICB, book a call with us before or after the show and we will fit around your diary.
Best Practice Birmingham 2026 at a glance
- Dates: Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October 2026
- Venue: Hall 4, NEC Birmingham
- Opening hours: 9am to 5pm on Wednesday, 9am to 4pm on Thursday
- Registration: through the official Best Practice Show website
- Next London event: Best Practice London, 2 and 3 March 2027, Olympia
The official Best Practice Show website carries the full exhibitor list and the conference programme, which includes a session on pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in primary care.
Why Best Practice Show is useful for primary care teams
The show lets primary care teams compare services, talk directly to suppliers and get a feel for what is changing across general practice. Service providers, technology vendors, clinical education and healthcare support sit under one roof, which is why so many practices and PCNs use it to draw up a shortlist.
When you reach the clinical pharmacy stands, look past whether a service is simply available. The service worth your time is clinically governed, clearly managed and easy for the practice to run day to day. It should support patient-care workflows without piling more admin onto GPs, practice managers or clinical teams.
Questions to take round the hall
Put the same questions to every clinical pharmacy provider you speak to, and note the answers side by side. Comparing like with like is the quickest route to a fair shortlist.
- Is this a managed service with agreed outcomes, or cover that the practice organises day to day?
- Who provides clinical oversight, and how is the service clinically governed?
- How are patient-care workflows agreed at the start, and how are they changed?
- How are medication reviews recorded, and what reporting does the practice, PCN or ICB receive?
- How are prescribing queries handled, and what are the escalation routes?
- Which clinical systems does the team work in: EMIS, SystmOne, Vision or Medicus?
- What data security evidence can the provider show, such as the Data Security and Protection Toolkit and Cyber Essentials?
- How does onboarding work, and how soon could work start?
- Can one service structure run across every practice in a PCN?
- What are the contract length and notice terms?
Our guide to what to check before you choose a clinical pharmacist provider has the full list of 15 questions to put to any provider.
Virtual Pharmacist: managed clinical pharmacy services for primary care
Virtual Pharmacist runs a managed clinical pharmacy service for GP practices, PCNs and ICBs. We deliver agreed patient-care workflows: medication reviews, prescribing support, prescription signing by our independent prescribers, medicines optimisation, repeat prescribing, clinical audits and long-term condition review support. We won the Pharmacy Solutions Provider award at the General Practice Awards.
The point is to take medicines-related workload off the practice and run it safely, to a clear structure, under clinical governance.
Most practices are under pressure from prescription queries, medication review targets, hospital letters, long-term condition recalls and medicines-safety work. We put structure around that workload, so it moves off GP time and stays visible to the practice.
Supporting medication reviews and medicines management
Medication reviews are central to safe patient care. They surface potential issues, support appropriate prescribing and keep patients on medicines that still suit their clinical needs.
We handle this through agreed clinical workflows: structured medication review support, prescribing-query management, repeat prescribing, prescription signing by our independent prescribers, medicines optimisation and audit work. Each one is built around safe delivery, clear reporting and defined escalation, so GP practices and PCNs get a consistent, repeatable way of handling medicines-related workload.
Clinical pharmacy services for GP practices
GP practices carry a heavy load of prescribing and medicines work: prescription queries, medication reviews, long-term condition support, medicines-safety checks and the follow-up that comes from hospital letters and prescribing changes.
We pick up these agreed workflows and run them around your existing practice processes, so you keep clear sight of what has been done, what has been flagged and what action was taken. The workload moves off the practice while patient care and clinical governance stay at the centre.
Clinical pharmacy services for PCNs
PCNs usually need medicines support spanning several practices, each with its own systems, workflows and priorities.
We deliver agreed clinical pharmacy workflows across multiple practices: medication reviews, prescription signing by our independent prescribers, prescribing processes, medicines optimisation, audit work and wider PCN priorities. Run as one managed service, it gives the PCN a single structure for delivery, reporting and escalation across every member practice.
Supporting ICB medicines management priorities
ICBs are focused on safe prescribing, medicines optimisation, reducing variation and getting better value from clinical resource across primary care.
We support those priorities directly, delivering medicines management programmes and agreed patient-care workflows across general practice: prescribing quality, medication review activity, safety work and structured reporting. For an ICB, the value is a service that is clinically governed, measurable and built around how primary care actually delivers.
Why a managed clinical pharmacy service is different
A managed service comes with defined workflows, clinical governance, reporting, escalation routes and operational oversight. It is built around agreed outcomes and operated to a known standard, which sets it apart from ad hoc help.
That matters because medicines management is clinical work. It needs clear processes, safe documentation and proper oversight. We give practices, PCNs and ICBs a reliable service model without adding complexity to their own teams.
Talk to us before or after the show
Plenty of practices and PCNs carry the conversation on after the show, which is usually when the sharper questions surface.
You might be comparing providers, planning medication review capacity, handling prescribing-query pressure or organising delivery across a whole PCN. We will help you work out what support you need and how a managed clinical pharmacy service would fit. Book a call with Virtual Pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
Is Virtual Pharmacist exhibiting at Best Practice Show 2026?
Our team is visiting Best Practice Birmingham on 7 and 8 October 2026 without a stand this year. To talk about clinical pharmacy support for your practice, PCN or ICB, book a call through our website before or after the show.
When and where is Best Practice Birmingham 2026?
Best Practice Birmingham runs on 7 and 8 October 2026 in Hall 4 at the NEC, from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday and 9am to 4pm on Thursday. Registration is through the official Best Practice Show website.
What should I ask clinical pharmacy providers at Best Practice Show?
Ask whether it is a managed service or cover the practice organises, who provides clinical oversight, how medication reviews are recorded and reported, which clinical systems the team works in, what data security evidence the provider holds, how onboarding works and what the contract terms are.
What does Virtual Pharmacist do?
Virtual Pharmacist runs a managed clinical pharmacy service for GP practices, PCNs and ICBs, covering medicines management, prescribing support, prescription signing by our independent prescribers, medication reviews, medicines optimisation, clinical governance and reporting.
Does Virtual Pharmacist support PCNs?
Yes. We deliver agreed clinical pharmacy workflows across multiple practices in a PCN, with governance, reporting and escalation built in.
How can I contact Virtual Pharmacist?
Book a call through our website to discuss clinical pharmacy services for your GP practice, PCN or ICB.
