Article | A guide to getting prepared for Pharmacy First

Maximising patient access is a significant challenge facing UK healthcare today. The Pharmacy First service will soon be introduced to address the growing need for care, offering patients improved access to healthcare services via their local pharmacy.

What is the Pharmacy First service?

In addition to managing minor ailments in community pharmacies, the new Pharmacy First service, launching 31st January 2024, will allow pharmacists to supply medicines for seven common health conditions, including earache, sore throat and uncomplicated urinary tract infections.

This will replace the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) which will come to an end on the 31st January 2024. Pharmacy contractors interested in providing the Pharmacy First service will be required to register at Manage Your Service (MYS), even if you’ve previously enrolled as a provider of the CPCS.

In addition to receiving referrals from NHS 111, GP practices and Urgent Treatment Centres, the new service allows pharmacists to support patient walk-ins who require care for any of the 7 common health conditions.

How might this benefit my business?

By signing up to the service before the January deadline, you’ll receive a fixed payment of £2,000. In addition to this, you'll also receive a payment of £1000 a month, if your pharmacy meets the minimum activity threshold of clinical pathways consultations. That’s significant extra revenue for your business.

How can I prepare my pharmacy for the launch?

Ensure that your team has sufficient training

It’s advised that any staff delivering consultations will need to undertake consultation skills training. The CPPE Consultation Skills programme promotes a more patient-centred approach to consultations, helping your staff apply practical communication methods to make informed patient decisions.

In addition, PharmOutcomes users can keep an eye out on the PharmOutcomes homepage over the coming weeks, where you’ll find useful guides and support for users of our Pharmacy First solution.

Leverage technology

It’s time to consider how your IT system will help you deliver efficient patient care.

Unlike many other systems, the PharmOutcomes platform offers a consistent solution to referral management. Hospital referrals for the Discharge Medicines Service (DMS) and GP referrals for other advanced pharmacy services flow directly into the PharmOutcomes workflow, streamlining your referrals process.

By choosing PharmOutcomes as your Pharmacy First partner, your pharmacy will benefit from a consistent approach to referral management, allowing you to focus on providing better patient care.

Review compliance

Ensure that your pharmacy is up to date with the regulatory requirements needed to deliver healthcare services. You’ll find updates on the Community Pharmacy England web page for helpful advice and tips.

Patient education and awareness

How do you plan to make patients aware of your expanding service? Use simple marketing strategies to help raise awareness, consider making use of social media, posters or leaflets to inform patients of your additional services.