Pharmacy First thresholds revised for the rest of the year

Community Pharmacy England calls on NHS England to actively promote Pharmacy First service to the public and enhance referral rates from general practices

NHS England announced at the Pharmacy Show this morning that Ministers have decided to amend the Pharmacy First thresholds for the remainder of the year.

This decision follows concerns raised by Community Pharmacy England (CPE) regarding difficulties faced by pharmacy owners in meeting the required number of clinical pathway consultations for monthly Pharmacy First payments

In response to CPE's representations to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, the threshold was earlier reduced from 20 to 15 in August, and from 30 to 20 in October.

At the Pharmacy Show on Monday, Ali Sparke from NHS England announced the revised thresholds, setting them at 20 for November and December 2024.

Starting in January and February 2025, the number of clinical pathway consultations needed for the monthly Pharmacy First payment will rise to 25, with a further increase to 30 in March.

Commenting on the decision to amend the thresholds, Janet Morrison, CEO of CPE, said: “Whilst not as large a reduction in the thresholds as we wanted, these changes at least indicate Ministers are taking a much more pragmatic approach to Pharmacy First payment thresholds.”

“This has been one of the key issues that we have been raising with the new Government, alongside the desperate wider financial position for community pharmacies, so we are grateful that some longer-term adjustments have now been made.”

Morrison emphasised the importance of making Pharmacy First effective for pharmacies, patients, and general practice, stating that they will continue to work with the Department and NHS to ensure the programme's success.

She urged NHS England to “effectively advertise the service to the public on an ongoing basis and to increase referral rates from general practices.”

“It is critical that this now happens to allow patients and the public to receive care closer to home; to help improve access to general practice; and to allow community pharmacies to maximise the amount of allocated funding that they can earn from this important service.”

Morrison noted that how to optimize the allocated funding for Pharmacy First remains a key concern for them as they prepare to re-enter funding negotiations with the government, assuring that they will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

Paul Rees, chief executive of National Pharmacy Association (NPA), welcomed the move and stated that “this latest revision to the Pharmacy First thresholds shows that the government and NHS England are at least listening to the sector’s concerns and recognise that the situation on the ground is incredibly challenging.”

However, he stressed the importance of taking further action to incentivise Pharmacy First and to ensure that all the £645 million allocated to new NHS services ultimately reaches participating pharmacies.

“Otherwise, the black hole in pharmacies’ finances will deepen still further, with potentially devastating consequences for community pharmacy, GPs, the wider NHS and patients across England,” he warned.

Malcolm Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), highlighted that their regular and real-time collection of members’ Pharmacy First activity data has supported efforts to secure these changes.

He urged NHS England to turbocharge GP referrals and promotion of Pharmacy First, particularly as the winter season approaches.