Within recent weeks, an agreement has been reached between Community Pharmacy England, the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the National Health Service (NHS) to roll out the new ‘Pharmacy First Service’. The agreement involves a £645 million injection of funds to support community pharmacy services throughout the UK. The Pharmacy First Service will focus on 7 key medical conditions that can now be managed directly by Pharmacists in the Community Pharmacy setting; these conditions are as follows:
· Sinusitis
· Sore throat
· Acute otitis media
· Infected insect bite
· Impetigo
· Shingles
· Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women
This advanced pharmacy service includes related advice and NHS funded treatment where clinically appropriate. Importantly, consultations can be offered to those patients who present in the Community Pharmacy with the medical complaint or indeed those patients referred from alternative sources such as General Practitioners and NHS 111. This will undoubtedly take the burden off the already stretched NHS! This scheme will also integrate the existing Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. The launch date for the Pharmacy First Service is 31st January 2024, subject to the availability of IT-based systems to facilitate delivery.
Patient-centred care will be at the forefront of the Pharmacy First Service. Here, it is anticipated that Community Pharmacists will provide appropriate advice and supply relevant medication (i.e. Prescription Only Medication) via referral to a pre-defined Patient Group Direction (PGD). Clearly, scope exists in the future for those individuals with an Independent Prescriber qualification to apply their skill set to deliver this new service without the need to use a PGD. Moreover, should a Pharmacist deem an over-the-counter product suitable for disease management then this will be provided, with related claw-back from the NHS.
Key advantages to the Pharmacy First Service include:
New service incentives
2. Capacity generation
3. Risk reduction for Pharmacy operators
4. Business growth and development
In terms of financial remuneration, an initial fixed payment of £2,000 per Pharmacy will be granted prior to the launch of the Pharmacy First Service. However, this figure will be reclaimed should the contractor not provide 5 related consultations before the end of March 2024. To claim the initial fixed payment, contractors should navigate to the NHS Business Services Authority ‘Manage Your Service’ page by 23:59 on 30th January 2024. Nevertheless, applications for the service can be submitted from 1st December 2023. Here, the timeline is very important. For those who make the declaration before the 31st December 2023 then the £2,000 payment will be made on 1st February 2024. For those who make the declaration prior to 30th January 2024 then the payment will be received on 1st March 2024.
As 2024 progresses, contractors will receive £15 per Pharmacy First consultation and from February 2024 a fixed monthly sum of £1,000 will be paid to pharmacy owners who meet a minimum activity threshold of clinical pathways consultations, in addition to the £15 consultation fee; this information may be located here.
The following is an excerpt from Janet Morrison who is the Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy, England:
“For pharmacy owners who are struggling to keep their businesses above water, looking to the future is incredibly challenging. But today’s announcement is a huge positive for the sector. It will allow new money to flow into pharmacies, building on the immense contribution they played during the pandemic offering accessible advice and support in every community. It creates the building blocks for a clinical future maximising the use of the skills and professional competence of pharmacists and their teams.”
Here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk, we totally agree with Janet Morrison’s viewpoints concerning the Pharmacy First Service. This is certainly an exciting development in the field of Community Pharmacy and one that pushes the clinical boundaries of those Pharmacists at the leading edge of healthcare provision for our community as a whole. We commend this new service model and wish those executing the scheme all the best with its delivery!
