Pharmacy First
Pharmacy First
This webpage provides information on the Pharmacy First service, which commenced on 31st January 2024.
The service was announced as part of an 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 visit our Pharmacy First: Information for GP practice teams webpage
If you are a non-healthcare professional visit our Information on national pharmacy services webpage
Introduction and background
Community Pharmacy England made a proposal to the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England for a Pharmacy First service back in March 2022 and followed up on our bid with an extensive influencing campaign to build wider support for the proposal from stakeholders and influencers.
The Pharmacy First service, which commenced on 31st January 2024, represented a crucial first step in recognising and properly funding the enormous amount of healthcare advice that community pharmacies provide to the public every day and in establishing and funding community pharmacy as the first port of call for healthcare advice.
What does the service involve?
The Advanced service involves pharmacists providing advice and NHS-funded treatment, where clinically appropriate, for seven common conditions (age restrictions apply):
Consultations for these seven clinical pathways can be provided to patients presenting to the pharmacy as well as those referred electronically by NHS 111, general practices and others.
The service also incorporates the elements of the former Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: minor illness consultations with a pharmacist and the supply of urgent medicines (and appliances), both following an electronic referral from NHS 111, general practices (urgent supply referrals are not allowed from general practices) and other authorised healthcare providers (i.e. patients are not able to present to the pharmacy without an electronic referral).
In the clinical pathway consultations, people with symptoms suggestive of the seven conditions will be provided with advice and will be supplied, where clinically necessary, with a prescription-only treatment under a Patient Group Direction (PGD) or in one pathway, an over-the-counter medicine (supplied under a clinical protocol), all at NHS expense.
From the autumn of 2026, pharmacist independent prescribers will be able to use their skills to complete episodes of care within the service, without the need for a PGD. However, for the time being, all pharmacists providing the service must use the PGDs and clinical protocol.
Service specification and other documentation
The service requirements are included in the service specification and the associated clinical pathways.
Download the service specification and clinical pathways
CPE briefing on the Urgent supply of medicines and appliances strand of Pharmacy First
Master PGD and Protocol authorisation sheet
Pharmacists working under the PGDs and protocol and an authorising manager need to sign them before their use. This master authorisation sheet can be used to sign/authorise all 23 PGDs and the one clinical protocol in one document.