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An independent prescribing service is to be introduced in community pharmacies in autumn as part of new contract arrangements announced last month.

It will be an add-on to the existing Pharmacy Contraception Service, and Pharmacy First. Community pharmacist prescribers will be able to:

• Prescribe within the existing Pharmacy First clinical pathways and the PCS
• Provide up to five new Pharmacy First prescribing-only pathways
• Prescribe an alternative item for individual patients when necessary (e.g. to resolve supply problems).

There are no details yet of what the new prescribing pathways will be, as they will need to be approved by a clinical reference group. 

The initial introduction of IP will be funded through:

• A one-off £500 set‑up fee payable once a contractor has signed up to deliver the relevant services and has a confirmed go-live date with an assured electronic prescribing service (EPS) system provider
• A £525 monthly infrastructure fee
• Consultation fees – these remain the same as for the existing services.
  • £17 for Pharmacy First clinical pathways
  • £25 for an initiation or ongoing contraception consultation
  • £20 for an emergency hormonal contraception consultation
  • Fixed payments of £500 for contractors delivering 20 to 29 consultations/month in a month, and £1,000 for those delivering 30 consultations or more.

In addition, the Pharmacy First budget will be fully merged into the CPCF budget, which will guarantee the funding envelope to the sector and removing the previous risk of underspending, says Community Pharmacy England.