Pharmacy First Service

The PFS is a new advanced service that replaced the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service aiming to give patients quick and accessible care and ease pressure on GP services. The full service consists of three elements:

• Pharmacy First (clinical pathways) – new element
• Pharmacy First (urgent repeat medicine supply) – previously commissioned as the CPCS
• Pharmacy First (NHS referrals for minor illness) – previously commissioned as the CPCS

Clinical Pathways

Patients can now get treatment for seven common conditions directly from their local pharmacy, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

The community pharmacist will be able to supply prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics and antivirals where clinically appropriate.

What are the seven common conditions?

• Sinusitis
• Sore throat
• Earache
• Infected insect bite
• Impetigo (a bacterial skin infection)
• Shingles
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

You do not need a referral from the surgery to access this scheme and can go to any pharmacy of your choosing. If you contact the surgery for any of these conditions, you will be referred to your chosen pharmacy, who you can visit on the same day.

NHS referrals for minor illness

Previously called the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service, it supports people getting a same day appointment with their community pharmacist for minor illness.

If, during your initial assessment when you call into the surgery we think you will get the quickest and safest care via a consultation with a pharmacist, we will arrange that for you, so you avoid having a long wait. Pharmacists are experts in medicines and managing minor illness. A consultation with a pharmacist means that you can be seen on the same at a pharmacy of your choosing.

What happens next?

We will send your details and information about your condition to the pharmacy you have chosen.

The pharmacist will be expecting you. Once we have contacted them, all you need to do is to go to the agreed pharmacy and let the counter staff know that you have been sent by the urgent and emergency care team and that you have arrived for your consultation with the pharmacist.

You will then have a consultation and be assessed by the pharmacist in a private consultation room.

How will the pharmacist help?

Pharmacists are highly skilled healthcare professionals who have trained for at least five years.

If the pharmacist reviews your symptoms and thinks you need to see another healthcare professional (eg GP, dentist, optician), they will help to arrange this.

The pharmacist can provide advice and reassurance on how to manage your condition, as many minor illnesses get better on their own. If the pharmacist thinks you need treatment to help with your symptoms, they may recommend an over-the-counter medicine.

If you are seeing them because you have run out of your usual medicine, they can help arrange a new supply.

The pharmacist will record the outcome of your consultation and send it to your GP to ensure your GP record is updated, including if any medicines are supplied.

The service ensures you see the right healthcare professional for your needs, closer to home. If you need to be referred to an alternative service, the pharmacist can arrange this.

Pharmacy First Urgent Repeat Medicine Supply

The Pharmacy First Urgent Repeat Medicine Supply ensures that patients can access an urgent supply of their regular prescription medicines where they are unable to obtain a prescription before they need to take their next dose.

The service may be needed because you have run out of a medicine, or because you have lost or damaged your medicines, or because you have left home without them. The aim of this service is to relieve pressure on urgent and emergency care services at times of high demand. You can use this service anywhere in England.

Published: Jan 24, 2025