Pharmacy First Service
The Pharmacy First service commenced on the 31st January 2024.
If you work in a general practice, visit our Pharmacy First: Information for GP practice teams webpage
If you are a non-healthcare professional, visit our Information on national pharmacy services webpage
The service requirements are included in the service specification and the associated clinical pathways.
Download the service specification and clinical pathways
Additional information on the urgent supply of medicines and appliances strand of Pharmacy First is also available in the below Briefing:
Download the briefing on the Urgent supply of medicines and appliances strand of Pharmacy First
Patient Group Directions
The 23 patient group directions (PGD) and one protocol for the service authorise supply of medicines at NHS expense.
Download the PGDs and protocol
Master PGD and Protocol authorisation sheet
Pharmacists working under the PGDs and protocol and an authorising manager need to sign them before their use. This master authorisation sheet can be used to sign/authorise all 23 PGDs and the protocol in one document.
Pharmacies are paid per completed consultation fee for Minor illness and Clinical Pathway consultations increased to £17. The fee for Urgent supply consultations is £15.
Monthly fixed payment
In addition to the consultation fee, a monthly fixed payment of £1,000 will be paid to pharmacy owners who meet a minimum activity threshold of clinical pathways consultations and will increase over time.
Addition of an intermediary monthly payment band
From 1st June 2025, a banded approach will be added to the monthly payment:
- £500 for those providing 20-29 Clinical pathways consultations within a month; and
- £1000 for those pharmacies that provide 30 or more Clinical pathways consultations within a month
Briefing on urgent supply of medicines and appliances
A new Community Pharmacy England briefing on the urgent supply of medicines and appliances strand of Pharmacy First has been published.
Read the briefing on the Urgent supply of medicines and appliances strand of Pharmacy First
Pharmacy First myth busting
An article was published to tackle some of the misconceptions around who can provide Pharmacy First consultations and aims to bust myths to increase understanding of the service.
Read the article on myth busting
New patient-facing website to promote NHS pharmacy clinical services
Community Pharmacy England has launched a patient-facing website to promote several of the key Advanced services that pharmacy teams provide and to direct patients to pharmacies in England that provide these services.
The website (communitypharmacy.org.uk) provides information about the following three services:
- Pharmacy First Service (clinical pathways);
- Hypertension Case-Finding Service (publicly known as the Blood Pressure Check Service); and
- Pharmacy Contraception Service.
There is a separate page for each of the services, providing patients with information about the individual services and directing them to the NHS website to find a pharmacy that offers the service.
This website can be used by other healthcare providers such as GP practices and by Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) to provide information on these services and direct patients to pharmacies in England that offer them.
Read more about the website and view resources to promote this to your GP practices
To view the PharmOutcomes Training video for The Pharmacy First Service click here.
Please find more information here.
To view the slides from the CPSS Pharmacy First Webinar held 24/01/24 click here.
From 1st October 2025, the updated Pharmacy First Clinical Pathways have been implemented. To summarise the changes, CPSS have put together slides and a recording.
These are the changes as highlighted by Community Pharmacy Surrey and Sussex for contractors reference. Please note, it remains the responsibility of all clinicians delivering the service to ensure they have read and understood the changes. This is not an exhaustive list of the changes therefore clinicians will need to read the documents published by NHS England and ensure they are confident in providing the service, are practising safely and in line with the service specification.
The slides can be found here.
The recording can found here.
Pharmacy First resources for GP Practice
These resources have been created to support GP practices to implement and embed the Pharmacy First service
- Pharmacy First training video
- Pharmacy First training Presentation PDF
- GP Pharmacy First Common Surgery Questions
- GP Who can I Refer into Pharmacy First
- GP Pharmacy First Common Patient Questions
- GP Connect in TPP SystmOne
- GP Connect in EMIS
- Pharmacy First Ardens SystmOne
- Pharmacy First Referral Guide for General Practice
- GP practices MFA (multifactor authentication) FAQ
- Technical information for MFA
If you wish to learn more about how to set up Pharmacy First on SystmOne and how to deal with the incoming tasks and patient record, please refer to the TPP Pharmacy First Resource that is published on their website and click on the supporting video.
| Systmone | EMIS |
| * Normally accessed via PharmRefer platform | * Normally accessed from Local Services Button |
| * Referral sent directly to the patients pharmacy of choice via PharmRefer | * Referral sent directly to the patients pharmacy of choice from EMIS |
| Any issues using PharmRefer please contact Pinnacle helpdesk@phpartnership.com or 0345 450 6279 | Any issues using Local Services please use EMIS Now or call 0330 024 1270 |
Surrey Heartlands Pharmacy First videos
There is now available a Pharmacy First peer-to-peer explainer video, which features Dr Amy Blakemore (GP Partner), Ness Shahidi-Giles (Clinical Pharmacist), and Rebeka Waite (Patient Services Advisor) answering FAQs on Pharmacy First.
The video was filmed with the team at Cranleigh Medical Practice and is designed to be comprehensive. While it runs 6 minutes and 38 seconds, it’s structured into clear sections using question visuals, so it’s easy to follow.
You can watch it here: Pharmacy First Explainer Video.
In addition, a local pharmacist’s 60-second video urges Surrey residents to ‘Think Pharmacy First’
In this one minute video Jay Amin, from Woodbridge Pharmacy in Surrey, explains why it’s a great idea to ‘Think Pharmacy First’ when you’re feeling unwell.
In another short video, Surrey resident, Melissa, shares how a sore throat led her to ‘Think Pharmacy First’ – and why she’ll do the same again in the future.
These videos can be used across the area.
Otoscope FAQ’s
Q. How should I dispose of otoscope and ear thermometer covers and tongue depressors following use in the examination of a patient?
Within the Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste such single use items are classified as offensive waste – see page 81 of the document (2022 version). This is not clinical waste, but may contain body fluids, secretions or excretions and it needs to be disposed of in yellow and black-striped ‘tiger’ bags.
Q. Can I dispose of offensive waste, such as otoscope covers and tongue depressors, in a clinical waste bin?
The Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste advises before disposing of an item in the infectious waste stream [clinical waste], consider whether the item is hazardous, or in fact just unpleasant. The over-classification of offensive waste as infectious waste can lead to more expensive waste management handling and treatment of such wastes. If there is no good reason to believe the item is hazardous – i.e. infectious, chemically / pharmaceutically / cytotoxically contaminated or radioactive – do not dispose of it to a yellow, orange or purple [clinical waste] bin/bag or other container for hazardous waste – see pages 81-82 of the document (2022 version).
Q. How do I dispose of offensive waste bags/containers?
Seek advice on this from your waste disposal contractor. The Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste provides guidance on waste disposal processes to be used by waste contractors (pages 82-93, 2022 version).
- Information for referring patients back into NHS 111 for Pharmacy First referrals can be obtained by emailing lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk.
Pharmacy First GP referrals in Surrey and Sussex
To support the continued development of the Pharmacy First service we are engaging with our pharmacies, GP practices and ICB colleagues to support the local referral pathways and increase referrals from general practice.
Surrey Heartlands ICS
Surrey Heartlands is using the EMIS integrated Local services and PharmRefer for non-EMIS practices. This greatly enhances the referral process for GP practice staff and fully integrates with the Community Pharmacy PharmOutcomes system. GP Pharmacy First referrals will be received at the pharmacy by the same route as NHS 111 referrals are. The Pathway for A&E referrals is in the planning phase.
Frimley ICS
Frimley is using the EMIS integrated Patient Access CPCS module and PharmRefer for non-EMIS practices. This greatly enhances the referral process for GP practice staff and fully integrates with the Community Pharmacy PharmOutcomes system. GP referrals will be received at the pharmacy by the same route as NHS 111 referrals are. The Pathway for A&E referrals is in the planning phase.
Sussex ICS
Sussex is using the EMIS integrated Patient Access CPCS module and PharmRefer for non-EMIS practices. This greatly enhances the referral process for GP practice staff and fully integrates with the Community Pharmacy PharmOutcomes system. GP referrals will be received at the pharmacy by the same route as NHS 111 referrals are. The Pathway for A&E referrals is in the planning phase.
To view the PharmOutcomes Training video for The Pharmacy First Service click here.
Please find more information here.
To view the slides from the CPSS Pharmacy First Webinar held 24/01/24 click here.
CPE have released various resources to help pharmacies promote the Pharmacy First service.
Download posters, social media tiles, videos, and more.
Further information and support
Have you checked out CPE’s Pharmacy First FAQs?
Read CPE’s recent comment on concerns over the implementation of Pharmacy First
