Welcome to the Pharmacy First page. This page will contain a brief overview of the Pharmacy First advanced service and associated links, attachments and documents to support you. To provide feedback on the service please complete the feedback form.
Pharmacy First Advanced Service
NHS England launched the new Pharmacy First advanced service on Wednesday 31st January 2024. This is an advanced service which includes seven new clinical pathways, as well as urgent repeat medicine supply and referrals for minor illness, replacing the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS). It will offer patients greater access to assessment, advice and treatments appropriate for minor illnesses and will divert activity that has been traditionally been met by clinicians in general practice and Out of Hours services. The clinical pathways element of Pharmacy First will enable pharmacists to offer advice to patients and supply NHS medicines (including some prescription-only medicines under Patient Group Directions), where clinically appropriate. The seven common conditions include:
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
- Impetigo
- Acute Sore Throat
- Shingles
- Infected Insect Bites and Stings
- Acute Sinusitis
- Acute Otitis Media
Our community pharmacy colleagues are keen to support Pharmacy First and all 105 of the county’s pharmacies have opted in to provide the service. A national campaign is planned and this page will be updated with more information after this date. Please find some resources below:
General Practice Resources
- Campaign resources (Extranet)
- Wessex LMC and Community Pharmacy Swindon and Wiltshire LPC PODCAST 33min 35sec Laura Edwards (LMC) and Sarah Cotton (LPC) discuss Pharmacy First a new initiative that has been rolled out across the country. They discuss how the new service is going including what conditions are covered, the funding and some of the myths surrounding it. There are also some top tips of how to get the most from this service for your patients and what future developments there might be.
- GP Team ‘Resources for Referral’ – GICB Explainer for general practice teams
- GP Team ‘Resources for Referral’ – GICB 21 slide briefing pack March 2024
- Virtual Outcomes training video. This video is aimed at surgery receptionists, care navigators and other team members. To gain access and register use your email and the surgery L code.
- Website to look up L code/
- AccuRx digital referral SOP for sending referrals. For receptionists/care navigators from SystmOne to the community pharmacy.
- GICB Community Pharmacy referrals grid. Services included in Pharmacy First are highlighted in yellow.
- GICB Pharmacy first aide-memoire This aide-memoire is a summary of the common conditions.
Community Pharmacy Resources
- Campaign resources (Extranet)
- Pharmacy First (NHS England)
- PharmOutcomes Pharmacy First Service video. This video provides a comprehensive overview of the Minor Illness and Clinical Pathway aspects of the pathway.
- GICB Community Pharmacy referrals grid. Services included in Pharmacy First are highlighted in yellow.
- Common conditions clinical pathways
- GICB Pharmacy first aide-memoire This aide-memoire is a summary of the common conditions.
- NHS Service Finder Guidance.
- Community Pharmacy Newsletter – March 2024 This is a education opportunities newsletter to provide community pharmacists a breakdown of educational events and webinars to support them throughout the Pharmacy First service, including the clinical pathways, contraceptive service, blood pressure monitoring service, education and training, and additional resources.
- Wessex LMC and Community Pharmacy Swindon and Wiltshire LPC PODCAST 33min 35sec Laura Edwards (LMC) and Sarah Cotton (LPC) discuss Pharmacy First a new initiative that has been rolled out across the country. They discuss how the new service is going including what conditions are covered, the funding and some of the myths surrounding it. There are also some top tips of how to get the most from this service for your patients and what future developments there might be.