Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) chief executive Malcolm Harrison has called on the government to commission more services to community pharmacies after revealing the organisation’s members had delivered over one million consultations since the launch of Pharmacy First.
Across the sector, more than three million patients have visited their local pharmacy for advice or treatment for the seven conditions treated under Pharmacy First.
“CCA members continue to deliver high quality Pharmacy First consultations in ever increasing volumes. Patient demand for pharmacy-led care continues to grow, and pharmacies are ready to meet it,” said Harrison.
“The sector now consistently provides over 200,000 consultations a month. However, the pharmacy network has the potential to deliver so much more.
“If the Government is serious about moving care into the community, they should expand the service to include more conditions and treatments to ensure more patients can be treated. Pharmacy First service must also become an independent prescribing-led service.
“With ambitious commissioning from the Government, up to 40 million consultations could be safely transferred from general practice to community pharmacies every year.”
The CCA said that almost 9,000 people received care through Clinical Pathway consultations at CCA pharmacies across the 2025 Easter weekend and consultation volumes rose by 10 per cent in the week before Christmas 2024.
This shows that Pharmacy First is providing vital NHS access for patients, often at times when they are unable to access other parts of the health system, added the CCA.
The service has also increased access to care within deprived communities, which typically have poorer access to other services such as General Practice[i].
Over a quarter (28 per cent) of consultations undertaken by CCA members to date have been in the most deprived communities.
Consultation volumes continue to grow at an average rate of six per cent per month.
The service has particularly benefited patients needing care outside of usual working hours, with around one in three consultations taking place during this time. Whilst demand for consultations on Sundays is double the average of that during the week.
