Pharmacy First – reflections on the first nine months

Pharmacy First enables patients to be referred into community pharmacy for a minor illness or an urgent repeat medicine supply. It also enables community pharmacies to complete episodes of care for 7 common conditions following defined clinical pathways. The service builds on the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service and offers people quicker and more convenient access to safe and high-quality healthcare. It includes the supply of appropriate medicines for 7 common conditions including earache, sore throat, and urinary tract infections, aiming to address health issues before they get worse. In this episode we’ll discuss progress made in the first nine full months of the service, as a new wave of the public awareness campaign gets underway. Are practices and the public beginning to think ‘pharmacy first?’ For more information visit: https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-services/pharmacy-first/ A transcript of this episode is available on our website - https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/transcript-pharmacy-first-reflections-on-the-first-9-months/ Contact us: england.ney.pctransformation@nhs.net