Pharmacy First Service
The Pharmacy First Service is a national service which commenced on 31st January 2024. The service was announced as part of an agreement setting out how the £645 million investment pledged within the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care would be used to support community pharmacy services.
The two previous elements of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) were incorporated into the Pharmacy First Service.
If you work in a General Practice, jump to GP resources, or visit the CPE website here.
Pharmacy First Clinical Pathways
In addition to the two previous elements of the CPCS, Pharmacy First includes the following 7 new clinical pathways:
- Sinusitis
- Sore throat
- Earache
- Infected insect bite
- Impetigo
- Shingles
- Uncomplicated UTI in women
The clinical pathways element of Pharmacy First enables pharmacists to offer advice to patients and, where clinically appropriate, supply some POMs under Patient Group Directions. This means that pharmacies can complete more episodes of care and patients can visit pharmacies, as a first port of call, for help with a wider range of common health conditions.
The existing referral routes for the CPCS also apply to the new Pharmacy First Service, however, patients can also self-refer to a pharmacy for the clinical pathway’s element (subject to the patient passing a clinically established gateway point in the relevant clinical pathway).
Read more about the Pharmacy First Advanced Service on the CPE webpage here.
Pharmacy First Resources
Pharmacy Owner Checklist: Getting Going with Pharmacy First
Pharmacist Checklist: Getting Going with Pharmacy First
Pharmacy First Service – Contact Info for Pharmacy IT Systems
Pharmacy First Locum Checklist – March 2024
Escalation Guide for NHS111 Referrals – we have requested an updated version of this document from the West Yorkshire ICB.
Recording Pharmacy First Consultations – March 2024
Pharmacy First – Pharmacy Staff Aide Memoire
Pharmacy First Myth-Busting for Pharmacies – January 2025
Pharmacy First Clinical Myth-Buster – March 2025
Pharmacy First Referral Feedback to GP – Report Template
Pharmacy First Referral Feedback to GP Report Template (Completed Example)
Collating Data from PharmOutcomes for GP Feedback
Raising Patient Awareness of the Service
Pharmacy First – Prescription Bag Flyers – September 2024
CPE has developed a Pharmacy First checklist which provides suggested actions that pharmacy owners and their teams can choose to undertake to help promote the Pharmacy First service to patients. See the Pharmacy First Checklist: Promoting the Service to the Public.
Clinical Pathways Resources
CPE has produced videos which talk you through each of the clinical pathways and are useful for pharmacists preparing to provide the service. See here.
There is also a helpful Pharmacy First podcast series available where pharmacy colleagues and expert clinical speakers discuss issues surrounding Pharmacy First and try to debunk some of the clinical myths. Each episode focuses on one of the clinical conditions, with an additional episode dedicated to paediatrics. See here.
Resources for GP Practices
Sending Pharmacy First Referrals using NHSmail
Pharmacy First Service: Aide Memoire – April 2024
Pharmacy First – GP Referral Support Document – updated April 2025
CPWY Pharmacy First What GPs Need to Know Poster
CPWY Pharmacy First A6 Leaflet – For GPs
Myth-Busting for GP Practices and Patients
Pharmacy First Myth-Busting for GPs – updated April 2025
Trinity Medical Centre, Wakefield – Videos
In the videos below Dr Omar Alisha and Amy Cooper at Trinity Medical Centre outline how the service was implemented, what Pharmacy First means to them, their practice and their patients and discuss their approach and management of Pharmacy First referrals back to the general practice.
- Pharmacy First in West Yorkshire: https://youtu.be/f3QP1wsEN4I
- Using Pharmacy First to increase primary care access: https://youtu.be/giYKMXlJ8-U
- Benefits of Pharmacy First: https://youtu.be/r26dMKpnFbo
- Referrals: https://youtu.be/fIci6kIeFDk
-
-
CPWY Bulletins
Bulletin 1 – Introduction to the New National Pharmacy First Service – 22nd November 2023
Bulletin 2 – Expansion of the Pharmacy Contraception Service from Today – 1st December 2023
Bulletin 3 – Pharmacy First: Starting to Prepare – 15th December 2023
Bulletin 4 – Pharmacy First: Less Than Two Weeks to Go! – 17th January 2024
Bulletin 5 – Pharmacy First Service Start Date Announced: Don’t Miss Out Claiming the £2000 Payment – 26th January 2024
Bulletin 6 – Pharmacy First: One Week Post Launch! – 9th February 2024
Bulletin 7 – Bundling of Pharmacy First with Other Services – 25th June 2024
Bulletin 7 (Follow-up) – Pharmacy Contraception Service – Bundling of Pharmacy First with Other Services – 31st July 2024
Bulletin 8 (Non-providers) – Spotlight on the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) – 20th September 2024
Bulletin 8 (Providers) – Spotlight on the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) – 20th September 2024
Bulletin 8a (Non-providers) – Spotlight on the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) – 29th January 2025
Bulletin 9 – New Pharmacy First Resource for Pharmacy Teams – Launch of the Pharmacy First Referral Feedback Report – 12th February 2025
Locum Bulletins
Pharmacy First Locum Bulletin 1 – Important Information for Locums – 19th December 2023
Pharmacy First Locum Bulletin 2 – Less Than 2 Weeks to Go! – 19th January 2024
PharmOutcomes Clinical Pathways Consultation Templates – Downloadable Copies
Below are downloadable versions of the consultation templates for the 7 clinical pathways. These documents can be used if PharmOutcomes is temporarily unavailable. If you use a different system provider other than PharmOutcomes, please contact them with any queries.
West Yorkshire Healthier Together Website
We have been made aware of some resources that will prove useful for you when examining children, especially Pharmacy First ENT referrals. The West Yorkshire Healthier Together website has a section for healthcare professionals and the Paediatric Resources page here has recently been updated with a video by Dr Cristina Costache (who attended our Pharmacy First Event in January 2024) which will be beneficial for pharmacists conducting ENT examinations.
The website also allows you to share the page via free SMS text message with parents or carers so they can access the resource from their phone. For example, the Earache page of the website contains a video for parents to watch so they know what to expect during an ENT examination.
It also has a wide range of resources covering child health. For example, the page on Fever has advice for parents on red, amber and green symptoms with an associated video (available in 6 languages) that includes clips of breathing difficulty to help aid assessment of the child.
Last Updated: 11th April 2025
