The Pharmacy First service builds on the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service which has run since October 2019. The consultation service enables patients to be referred into community pharmacy for a minor illness or an urgent repeat medicine supply.
Accessing Pharmacy First services
The following table shows the 7 conditions pharmacists can manage across various age ranges.
| Clinical pathway | Age range |
| Acute otitis media* | 1 to 17 years |
| Impetigo | 1 year and over |
| Infected insect bites | 1 year and over |
| Shingles | 18 years and over |
| Sinusitis | 12 years and over |
| Sore throat | 5 years and over |
| Uncomplicated urinary tract infections | Women 16-64 years |
* Distance selling pharmacies will not complete consultations for acute otitis media.
Patients will be able to access the 7 clinical pathways element via referrals from referring organisations including general practice, urgent and emergency care settings, and NHS 111 (online and via telephone). In addition, for the 7 common conditions clinical pathway consultations only, patients can access the service by attending or contacting the pharmacy directly without the need for referral.
Providing high quality health and care services
For the 7 common conditions, pharmacists will follow a robust clinical pathway which includes self care and safety-netting advice and, only if appropriate, supplying a restricted set of prescription only medicines without the need to visit a GP.
These clinical pathways have been developed with input from various experts including practising GPs, pharmacists, and antimicrobial resistance specialists as well as representatives from national organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and UK Health Security Agency. This ensures that the steps we take together match the care patients would receive in general practice and follow the latest national guidelines.
Pharmacies have private consultation rooms that can be used for consultations with patients, and pharmacists can see patients for clinical services without always needing an appointment.
Every pharmacist trains for 5 years in the use of medicines and managing minor illnesses, so they are well equipped to provide health and wellbeing advice to help people stay well. They are also experienced in spotting warning signs, otherwise known as red flag symptoms, which may warrant a referral to another healthcare provider.
After a consultation with the pharmacist, the pharmacy will send a notification to the patient’s GP on the same day or on the following working day.