NHS service developments

England

The nationally funded Pharmacy First service in England was launched in January with seven common health conditions. Eligibility for pharmacies to receive the monthly payment was due to increase to 30 clinical pathway consultations in October but this was changed to 20, reflecting concerns about the difficulty in achieving the original threshold figure.

Wales

Four ‘required’ services were originally included in the Clinical Community Pharmacy Service (CCPS) from April 2023:

• Common ailments service (CAS)
• Seasonal flu vaccine
• Contraception (including both emergency and bridging contraception)
• Emergency medication supply.

During 2024, the Pharmacy Contraception Service was updated to combine the emergency contraception and bridging and quick-start service elements. Pharmacy technicians will be able to deliver contraception services under the CCPS from February 1, 2025.

The seasonal flu service component was removed from the CCPS and became a stand-alone Directed National Clinical Service. Pharmacy technicians have been allowed to deliver flu vaccinations since October 1, 2024.