There is “great concern” around whether pharmacies in England will be able to meet the new threshold of 20 Pharmacy First clinical pathways from September, negotiators have warned.  

In a statement on Friday August 30, Community Pharmacy England said that unless NHS England produces “more effective” public advertising and encourages GPs to “refer as many patients as possible,” contractors will struggle to cope with the rise in the minimum number of consultations required to qualify for the £1,000 monthly fixed payment. 

The doubling of the activity threshold from 10 to 20 was originally planned to be introduced in August but delayed a month following representations from CPE. The activity threshold is set to rise to 30 from October. 

Based on the assumption that at least 10,000 pharmacies are signed up to deliver the service, analysis of the most recent Pharmacy First data made available by the NHS Business Services Authority indicates that in May contractors achieved an average of 16.1 clinical pathway consultations. 

The sore throat (average of 5.8 consultations per pharmacy) and uncomplicated UTI (4.34 consultations) clinical pathways had the most activity, while shingles and impetigo saw the least (0.47 and 0.6 consultations respectively). 

CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said that the pharmacy sector had “carried out its side of the bargain” in delivering the service and that NHS England must “match that commitment” in supporting the continued growth of the service. 

Ms Morrison said: “The ability of pharmacy owners to meet the Pharmacy First monthly payment thresholds is a major ongoing concern, and the latest data highlights this burning issue. 

“The change for August did help ease the situation for some, but we urgently need ministers to take further action to support pharmacies through the planned ramp up in thresholds for September and October.

“It is our strongly held view that community pharmacy has carried out its side of the bargain in launching the Pharmacy First service, but NHSE need to match that commitment through more effective advertising and ensuring that GPs refer as many patients as possible.”

In July, Ms Morrison told an audience of contractors that NHSE’s investment in marketing the service to the public has been inadequate. “It’s no use having a one off campaign – it needs to be continuous advertising,” she commented.

An NHSE spokesperson told P3pharmacy: “Pharmacy First is giving patients quick, easy access to support for common conditions through their high street pharmacy. 

“The NHS has run an extensive advertising campaign across video on demand, online video, social media, and poster sites in public spaces on the support patients can now receive at their pharmacist. 

“We are now working closely with ICBs to support pharmacies and general practices to ensure the right patients can be seen in pharmacy settings, offering a more convenient option for those with minor illness, and an opportunity to better manage capacity across primary care."