By Neil Trainis

The government has pledged to invest £645 million over the next two years to help community pharmacies in England provide a common conditions service as well as the contraception and hypertension case-finding services.

The PSNC described the deal as “the most significant investment in community pharmacy in well over a decade” and confirmed to Independent Community Pharmacist the £645 million is new money and will not be taken from the sector’s existing global annual sum of £2.592 billion.

The common conditions service, or Pharmacy First scheme, agreed as part of the government’s blueprint to improve patients’ access to primary care and encourage them to manage their own health, covers seven conditions – sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

The PSNC cautioned the “wider detail of the service is yet to be negotiated,” including whether patients will receive free treatments such as OTC products, but promised to update the sector “as soon as we are able to.” It also said an agreement is still to be reached on how the £645 million will be split between the three services.

“These discussions, which will also look at the cost of IT integration and marketing of pharmacy services to the public, have already commenced and we hope to be able to report back to the sector over the summer,” it said.

When asked when a full service specification for the common conditions service will be published, the PSNC said: “This will follow the outcome of our detailed negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) and those negotiations have only just commenced.

“Our ambition is to have more information to share with pharmacy owners over the summer and DHSC and NHSE have said they wish to have the service up and running by the end of 2023.”

There are also question marks over how the common conditions service will operate alongside the community pharmacist consultation service, if they might be combined or whether the common conditions service might even supplant the CPCS, which appears unlikely. The PSNC told ICP there “is still a need for other providers such as NHS 111 to have a route to refer people to pharmacies” and said it will discuss the issue in its talks with DHSC and NHSE.

Despite the government’s pledge of new money, the PSNC maintained its stance that contractors should not provide the contraception service until its negotiations give it a better idea of how affordable it is to roll out.

Nonetheless, the announcement of £645 million of new funding prompted a buoyant response from pharmacy bodies. The PSNC insisted the “overall investment is a clear vote of confidence from government and the NHS” in community pharmacy.

NPA: This is ‘a momentous development’

National Pharmacy Association chief executive Mark Lyonette described it as “a momentous development which has the potential to radically change the outlook for our sector, as well as benefiting patients,” although he insisted his organisation “will want to look carefully at the details.”

“We warmly welcome this commitment to invest in a nationwide, pharmacy-based common ailments service.  It’s a long overdue step that will improve access to care and free up GP waiting lists," he said. “It’s something we’ve long been calling for; successive health secretaries have talked with us about the benefits of a nationwide pharmacy first scheme, as well as senior NHS officials. This ongoing dialogue is at last bearing fruit.

“Critically, the service will be backed by new funding, which we hope signals a better understanding both in government and NHS England about the value pharmacies bring to the health service. If so, it could have long-term significance and set us back on track for a sustainable, clinically focused future, after years of decline.”

CCA: Funding is ‘critical’ to enable delivery

The Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison said the funding was “a real vote of confidence for the future profession and the community pharmacy sector” and insisted the money is “critical” to enabling the delivery of all three services.

“As soon as this funding can be released patients will be able to see an immediate benefit,” he said. “The initiatives here are a crucial first step in realising the true potential of the community pharmacy sector.”

AIMp: More still needs to be done

The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, however, warned that although the government’s primary care plan “is a step in the right direction, more needs to be done to address the funding crisis, workforce challenges and medicine supply issues that have brought pharmacies to their knees.”

However, the body said it was pleased prime minister Rishi Sunak “personally intervened to ensure” pharmacy’s role was recognised in the plan.

RPS: Implementation of Pharmacy First is ‘crucial’

The English Pharmacy Board chair Thorrun Govind said the common conditions service was “a game-changer for patients” but warned its implementation is “crucial.”

“The funding must flow to the frontline who need to be supported to give patients the quality service they deserve,” she said, adding the “plans will help reduce health inequalities, especially in deprived areas where pharmacies are at the heart of their communities and trusted by patients.”

Numark: Is funding ‘one-off cash injection?’

Numark's managing director Nigel Swift said it will take several months to implement the services and urged the government to “help people understand when it is most appropriate” for them to see their GP and their pharmacy team.

“Making better use of community pharmacy is a no-brainer: good for patients and good for the NHS. We have been saying that for years,” he said, insisting the public “need to know what ‘pharmacy first’ means in practice.”

He also said community pharmacy must know whether the funding boost is “a one-off cash injection” or “a long-term commitment to improving patient access to healthcare through local pharmacies.”