Pharmacy First

The following key documents have now been published.

• Service specification
• Clinical pathways
• 23 PGDs
• Protocol

Pharmacists must read and sign-up to the PGDs and protocol, before providing the service. You can use the PGD and Protocol sign-up sheet to record this.

Registering to provide the service

Pharmacy owners can register to provide the service on MYS. However, you will not now be entitled to the £2,000 initial fixed payment.

CPE: Initial briefing for pharmacy teams

CPE: Pharmacy owner implementation checklist: Pharmacy First service

CPE: Pharmacist implementation checklist: Pharmacy First service

CPE: Medicines list for clinical pathway consultations 

CPE: Videos to talk you through the clinical pathways

CPE Claiming guidance: Help to determine when a consultation can be claimed under the service.

Cancer Research UK: Summary of key safety netting actions for suspected cancer patients

Pharmacy First – Incorrect rejections: Analysis and finding collated around incorrect rejections for Pharmacy First

Pharmacy First – Toolkit – We have produced this document to support you to deliver the service.

Spotlight on Services: Pharmacy First – We have produced this as part of our Spotlight on Services series to provide you with tips to support service delivery.

Spotlight on services: Pharmacy First – We have produced this as part of our Spotlight on Services series to provide you with tips to support service delivery.

Operational Top-Tips Guidance document – We have produced this document containing top-tips for contractors in preparation to provide the service.

FAQs Guidance Document – We have produced this document containing FAQs alongside guidance for contractors in providing the service.

Remote Consultations Guidance document–  This  document containing practical considerations and other useful information to help you with remote consultations.

Emergency supply of medicines for Pharmacy First – We have produced a summary document of general points to consider outlined in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 in the deliverance of Pharmacy First Service.

Urgent escalation – We have developed a document which explains the process for non-urgent escalations.

Non urgent escalation – We have developed a document which explains the process for non-urgent escalations.

CPGM Webinar: Maximising Your Success with Pharmacy First and Minor illness – watch on-demand

We organised this event to see how the service is going one month in, hear tops tips and share best practice across Greater Manchester.

The team from CPGM and NHS Greater Manchester were also on hand to answer your questions and to offer support.

An on-demand recording of the webinar is available to watch via this link or the video below

In order to help you, CPGM have produced a summary document of all available Pharmacy First training providers

Pharmacy First: Summary of training and support available

CPPE: Pharmacy First – Delivering a Quality Service E-learning available on-demand
This training aims to provide you with the skills to review consultations, improve your confidence, manage people’s expectations around appropriate antibiotic use and much more. Click here to access the training

CPE Webinars: Implementing Pharmacy First

CPE hosted a series of webinars to help pharmacy teams prepare for the new Pharmacy First service, and changes to the Contraception and Hypertension Case-Finding Services.

• Pharmacy First and the Recovery plan Watch on-demand
• Pharmacy Contraception Service: Initiating contraception (Tues 5th Dec)- Watch on-demand
• Pharmacy First: Getting to know the service (Wed 13th Dec)- Watch on-demand 
• Pharmacy Contraception Service: getting going with the service (Wed 10th Jan)  Watch on-demand 
• Pharmacy First: Getting ready for launch (Mon 15th Jan) Watch on-demand 

CPPE: Common Conditions Training

To support you in delivering Pharmacy First and treating common conditions, CPPE have launched a new Common clinical conditions e-learning programme. This includes practical tips and advice on managing over 50 different common conditions.

SPS: Pharmacy First Podcast

In this series pharmacy colleagues and expert clinicians talk about issues surrounding the service and try to debunk clinical myths. Listen now

To claim payments for the Pharmacy First service, claims should be submitted within one month of, and no later than three months from the claim period for the chargeable activity provided.

If you have not yet submitted your claim for your February 2024 consultations, you must do so by 5th June 2024. 

CPE have published a page containing a range of FAQs

Patient leaflets for common conditions – When providing a consultation for one of the seven clinical pathways, patients can be signposted to this information.

NHSE promotional materials  – You can use these in your pharmacy and across your website and social media platforms to promote the service

CPE Pharmacy First promotion checklist: Suggested actions to promote the service to their patients.

NHS GM – Videos to promote the service to patients

CPE have  published a template letter/email that can be sent to GP practices introducing the service

They have also  published a briefing for GP practice teams that can also be sent with the letter/email.

A breakdown of all referral criteria and a quick reference guide has been produced for use by GPs to identify which patients can be referred to pharmacy as part of this new service. Please note that these documents have not been signed off by the NHS.

Pharmacy First template PowerPoint presentation for LPCs (general practice colleagues )

Below we have included links to documents that have been sent to GP practices in relation to this service. These have been uploaded for your information and reference.

NW 2024 PF Briefing Pack for GP Practice Teams

NW Pharmacy First GP support pack letter

Pharmacy First – explainer summary for general practice

CPE have published a range of new resources that you can use when talking to GPs about Pharmacy First. this include an animated video that explains how GP practices can refer patients and information about how the service works.

View and download the resources 

PharmOutcomes have launched a Resource Centre to support users with Pharmacy First. This area hosts a number of useful items including:

• A training video for the new NHS Pharmacy First service
• How to join an affinity group
• Get ready for Pharmacy First – Service guide
• PharmOutcomes Registration guide- How to sign up

The service involves providing consultations to give advice and NHS-funded treatment (via Patient Group Directions), where appropriate, for seven common conditions (clinical pathways consultations). The consultations can be provided to patients who self-refer to the pharmacy (e.g. walk-ins) as well as those referred by NHS 111, GPs and others.

The Pharmacy First service incorporates the existing Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS). Pharmacies will be paid £15 per consultation

From February 2024, in addition to the £15 consultation fee, a monthly fixed payment of £1,000 was paid to pharmacy owners who met a minimum activity threshold of clinical pathways consultations (the threshold will increase over time as set out below).

Following concerns raised around achieving thresholds for this service, the NHSE have announced amended figures for the next few months.

Read more about these changes