Pharmacy First
The Pharmacy First Service is an NHS England initiative designed to help patients receive timely and appropriate treatment. This programme supports community pharmacies to manage seven common conditions by offering professional advice, over-the-counter medications, and, in some cases, certain prescription-only treatments, all without the need for a GP appointment. This programme not only benefits patients but also helps reduce the workload on GP practices.
How the Pharmacy First Service can enhance your practice in Modern General Practice
Modern General Practice Access focuses on efficiently directing patients to the right healthcare professional or service at the right time based on their specific needs. This approach supports practices in leveraging a multiprofessional team, including community services, to improve patient care and optimise workforce and resources.
The Pharmacy First Service can play a key role in this model by collaborating with GP practices to streamline processes for signposting and referring patients. When appropriate and safe, patients can be directed to Pharmacy First, reducing the need for GP appointments and freeing up practice capacity.
Steps to implement Pharmacy First in your practice
To help your practice implement the Pharmacy First Service, we have outlined some key steps below to help get you started:
Step 1: Review Pharmacy First resources available on the NCL GP website
Visit the NCL GP website for information on the Pharmacy First Service. The site provides detailed guidance, including eligibility criteria, referral processes, and NHS England recommendations.
Access the resources here: https://gps.northcentrallondon.icb.nhs.uk/services/pharmacy-first-service
Consider helping patients better understand the Pharmacy First service by promoting it through the following methods:
Adding information to your practice website
Including a message in your telephone auto-attendant system
Sending SMS messages to patients as part of your care navigation process
Displaying a promotional poster or notice in your waiting room:
Step 2: Identify local participating community pharmacies
Use the NHS Service Finder to locate pharmacies participating in the Pharmacy First Service. Currently, 97% of community pharmacies across NCL are signed up, making it easy to find a pharmacy near your practice.
Step 3: Learn about the referral process
Watch webinar recordings to learn:
How to create and manage referrals
The process of electronic referrals via EMIS
Reasons for patient re-referrals to primary care
NHS England has created a webpage that explains the Pharmacy First GP referral pathway, including guidance on implementing it within primary care networks (PCNs) and practices. It also outlines how to effectively involve your reception and care navigation teams in the process: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/community-pharmacy-contractual-framework/referring-minor-illness-patients-to-a-community-pharmacist/
Step 4: Work with your local community pharmacy
A strong working relationship between your practice and local community pharmacy is key to the success of the Pharmacy First Service. To streamline the triage process:
Establish regular touchpoints, such as monthly or quarterly meetings, to address learning opportunities and troubleshoot challenges.
Keep your pharmacy partners informed about any changes to your practice’s processes.
Where to Find More Information
For further support, please contact the NCL Community Pharmacy Services team: nclicb.medsoptimisation@nhs.net
Camden and Islington practices: Please contact Shilan Shah on psm@cpci.org.uk
Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey practices: Please contact Amalin Dutt on amalin@middlesexpharmacy.org