Pharmacy First Service
Details of the new national Pharmacy First Service were announced as part of an agreement setting out how the £645 million investment pledged within the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care will be used to support community pharmacy services. This service commenced on Wednesday 31st January 2024! See here for more details.
The Pharmacy First Service will enable patients to visit pharmacies, as a first port of call, for greater help with a range of common health conditions. The service 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 will enable pharmacists to offer advice to patients and, where clinically appropriate, supply some POMs under Patient Group Directions.
The existing referral routes for the CPCS will apply to the new Pharmacy First service, however, patients will also be able to 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 Service: Aide Memoire – February 2024
Pharmacy First – GP Referral Support Document
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
NHS Funded Training
Build your pharmacy future with fully funded, flexible training tailored to your skills, experience and individual learning requirements. Learn new skills, support peer development and expand your clinical knowledge. Courses include:
- Clinical Examination Skills and Independent Prescribing for Community Pharmacists.
- Advancing your role for Community Pharmacy Technicians
- Educational Supervisor Training for Community Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
CPE Briefing & Letters
Briefing 029/23: Recovery Plan agreement – Summary and FAQs for pharmacy owners and LPCs
NHSE/CPE Letter – Pharmacy First: 2023/24 to 2024/25
Briefing 040/23: Pharmacy First Briefing for Pharmacy Teams, Dec 2023
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
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 Referral Record Sheets – Downloadable Copies
Below are downloadable versions of the Referral Record Sheets for the 7 conditions which have been produced by PharmOutcomes. 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: 27th March 2024
