How to build on your experience

Community pharmacists already play a crucial role in managing common conditions through the various national Pharmacy First-type services.

Since 2024, when this initiative was launched in England utilising PGDs and building on the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, over 5 million consultations were carried out in just its first year. There are similar schemes in operation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

NHS Pharmacy First Plus in Scotland allows community pharmacists to prescribe treatments for minor illnesses and common clinical conditions, while the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing Service in Wales also enables trained pharmacists to prescribe medicines for a range of conditions.

All this activity forms part of broader reforms to integrate community pharmacies more closely with other primary care services.

The Northern Ireland Pharmacy First service enables pharmacists to provide advice and treatments for everyday health conditions such as sore throat and EHC. All of these services are designed to offer better access to healthcare and prescribed medicines without a GP appointment.

These services demonstrate very clearly the significant positive impact community pharmacists can have on providing accessible healthcare for common clinical conditions.

In addition to this, England’s Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme is testing different prescribing models in community pharmacy at ICB level to help develop a suitable commissioning framework as part of the sector's expanding clinical offer.

Meanwhile, from next September, all newly qualified pharmacists will be recognised as independent prescribers from day one of registration, which will significantly expand capability.

These are significant steps towards integrating prescribing into everyday practice in community pharmacy, further enhancing the role of pharmacists in primary care.

It might feel somewhat daunting to move from managing acute conditions by means of PGDs and expertise in OTC medicines to prescribing independently. However, community pharmacists can build on their existing strengths.

These include good clinical knowledge and patient consultation skills, working closely with other healthcare professionals like GPs, and health promotion/illness prevention experience.

The move to independent prescribing should therefore not be regarded as a big leap. With planning, employer support, and contacts in the NHS and community pharmacy local groups (formerly local pharmaceutical committees), who are the local advocates for community pharmacy, it can be comfortably achieved.                 

Pharmacy First services are all designed to enhance the role of community pharmacists and provide a pathway to prescribing. They have enabled pharmacists to complete episodes of clinical care for conditions like earache, sore throat and urinary tract infections by following defined clinical pathways.

This includes physical and clinical assessment, provision of self-care advice and supplying POMs where necessary by means of PGDs.

For pharmacists to be able to participate in providing these services, training has been provided on managing these conditions beyond the previously more limited OTC treatment options.

This has acted as a useful stepping stone towards prescribing as pharmacists’ clinical skills and confidence grow.

By managing conditions in a more immediate way that reduces the need for further assessment and treatment by GPs, community pharmacists are demonstrating their capability and readiness for prescribing roles, while helping the NHS to manage demand.

By becoming prescribers, community pharmacists can improve patient access to care by managing medicines for long-term conditions and urgent care, reducing the need for GP visits. Pharmacists can enhance patient outcomes through their medicines expertise, and provide tailored and effective treatments.

They can also experience greater job and professional satisfaction as a result.