Blood pressure check service
Blood pressure check service
This service allows community pharmacy teams to offer a blood pressure check followed by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), if required, to identify those with undiagnosed hypertension. The pathway is in line with NICE guidance.
Without referral from general practice, community pharmacists can only opportunistically provide the service to patients:
- Aged over 40 years
- Not previously identified as having hypertension
- Have not had their blood pressure measured by a healthcare professional within the previous six months
In addition to opportunistic testing for a specific category of patients, general practice can refer ANY patient for a clinic blood pressure reading or for 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
Please refer to the service specification for more details.
Members of the public can find a local pharmacy offering this service by utilising the NHS post code search tool.
Contraception service
Pharmacy contraception service
From Spring 2023, pharmacies have been signing up to offer the pharmacy contraception service. This gives people the option of attending their local pharmacy for repeat contraception after their initial consultation and prescription by their GP.
Visit the NHS England website for details of how to access the service.
Where can I access this service?
Please note pharmacies are continuously signing up to offer this service. A PDF directory document with the latest list of participating pharmacies in Northamptonshire can be found on the Support from your pharmacy page on the Intergrated Care Boad website.
Resources
Contraception Service Webinar Slides 11th July 2024 NHSE Midlands.pdf [pdf] 1MB
Recording of the webinar: Community Pharmacy Contraception Service Webinar 11 July 2024 (youtube.com)
Contraception Service Webinar Slides 12th November 2024 (1).pdf [pdf] 896KB
Recording of the webinar: Community Pharmacy Contraception Service Webinar 12th November 2024 (youtube.com)
Pharmacy First
Pharmacy First
The Pharmacy First service was announced as part of the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan in May 2023. Pharmacy First is a NHS Advanced Service for Community Pharmacies and was formally launched on 31 January 2024.
The service aims to reduce pressure on the Primary and Urgent Care system, particularly Accident and Emergency and GP out of hours. The service will support the integration of Community Pharmacy into the Urgent Care system.
This toolkit is aimed at General Practice and Community Pharmacy teams, but it may also be of benefit to staff working in other sectors such as Urgent and Emergency Care. Within this toolkit you will find a variety of resources that can be used to support the implementation of the Pharmacy First service. It also contains resources for growing the service and resolving issues that you may experience.
The service includes seven clinical pathways and builds upon the previous Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS). General Practices should refer patients to Pharmacies using an integrated GP IT solution. Practices will receive information back on consultation outcomes.
Pharmacy First Service Elements
The Pharmacy First full service is made up of the following three elements, which registered Community Pharmacies deliver under the umbrella term "Pharmacy First":
1. Supply of urgent repeat medicines (and appliances)
- This allows UEC and 111 settings to refer patients to Community pharmacy for a supply of an urgent repeat medicine
- General practices are not able to refer into this element of Pharmacy First
2. NHS referral to a Pharmacist for minor illness
- Previous Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS) with no changes
- This allows patients to be referred from General Practice, UEC or 111 settings to a Community Pharmacy for a consultation with a Community Pharmacist. The Pharmacist will assess the patient, offer advice, recommend treatments (if necessary) or refer to another setting or service if needed
3. NHS referral to a Pharmacist for 7 clinical conditions
- This allows patients to be referred from General Practice, UEC or 111 settings for a consultation with a Community Pharmacist for the following seven clinical conditions:
- Acute otitis media (1 to 17 years)
- Infected insect bite (1 year and over)
- Impetigo (1 year and over)
- Shingles (18 years and over)
- Sinusitis (12 years and over)
- Sore throat (5 years and over)
- Uncomplicated UTI (Women 16 to 64 years)
- Patients are also able to self-refer for the same conditions
- The Pharmacist is able to provide advice and NHS-funded treatment (which could be a prescription-only treatment under a Patient Group Direction or an over-the-counter medicine), where clinically appropriate for these conditions
- There is a clinical pathway for each of the seven conditions, which identifies when a patient can be treated under the service and when they should be referred to another healthcare professional; this is what the Pharmacist will use to decide if the patient is eligible for this service
- Any treatment supplied will be recorded in the patient's GP record
Pharmacy First participating Pharmacies
97% of Community Pharmacies in Northamptonshire are signed up to deliver all elements of Pharmacy First.
You can find Pharmacy details using the integrated GP IT referral system – when sending a referral, the system will automatically return nearby pharmacies that are currently able to offer the Pharmacy First service.
Resources – Community Pharmacy
- Pharmacy First - Process for updating DoS Poster [pdf] 128KB
- NHS England — Midlands » Pharmacy in the Midlands
- NHS111 Pharmacy First - Referral Escalation Actions Poster[pdf] 147KB
- How to access the 111 healthcare professionals line
- National communications materials to download
- Social media content and key messages
- NHS England Pharmacy First advanced service specification
- Service Specification
- Clinical Pathways
- PGDs and Protocols
- Pharmacy First Master PGD and Protocol authorisation sheet
- Community Pharmacy England Pharmacy First service
- Videos talking through each of the clinical pathways
- Links to PGDs and Protocols and Master PGD and Protocol authorisation sheet
- Links to training
- Patient Information source – contains all the patient facing leaflets/website links listed in the PGDs and treatment protocol
- Frequently asked questions
- PharmOutcomes Pharmacy First training video
- for the NHS Pharmacy First service, providing a overview of the minor illness and clinical pathway aspects of the pathway
- Training –
- Community Pharmacists are being offered a range of fully-funded, flexible training to expand their clinical skills and improve patient care.
- CPPE with NHS England have developed a Pharmacy First self-assessment framework, which pharmacists can use to assess their knowledge in relation to the service and to identify any gaps in their knowledge, which need to be filled
- Cliniskills is free and available to all Community Pharmacists
- Agilio Primary Care iLearn – access to the Pharmacy First Library, with seven free courses available to access
- Community Pharmacists are being offered a range of fully-funded, flexible training to expand their clinical skills and improve patient care.
Resources – General Practice
- PF Minor Illness Inclusion Exclusion.pdf [pdf] 179KB
- Printable poster for GP reception teams detailing inclusion and exclusion criteria for Pharmacy First minor illness
- 7 Clinical Pathways - Inclusion/Exclusion criteria - June 2025.pdf [pdf] 163KB
- Printable poster for GP reception teams detailing inclusion and exclusion criteria for Pharmacy First 7 clinical conditions
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Explaining the digital referral process for SystmOne Practices using ARDENS OR PHARMREFER
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- Pharmacy First video
- Explaining the digital referral process for EMIS practices
- Q&A between a GP practice and receptionist around benefits of Pharmacy First
- Q&A between a GP practice and receptionist sharing referral process followed in SY1 practice for Pharmacy First via ARDEN template
- Pharmacy First Pack for Receptionists and Care Navigators[pdf] 2MB
- NHS England Midlands and Northamptonshire ICB produced Pharmacy First summary aimed at GP reception teams and care navigators
- Pharmacy First FAQs for Healthcare Professionals (Detailed Version) [pdf] 261KB
- NHS England Midlands Pharmacy First Resource Pack[pdf] 1MB
- National communications materials to download
- Social media content and key messages
- Introduction to Pharmacy First for GP Practices presented by Dr Joanne Watt
- Information on Pharmacy First for receptionists and care navigators presented by Dr Joanne Watt
- Animation on how the Pharmacy First service works
- Pharmacy First poster.pdf [pdf] 3MB
- Find clinical pathway videos on all seven conditions on the Community Pharmacy England website
- Find clinical pathway and Patient Group Direction information on the NHS England website
Lateral Flow Device Testing
Lateral Flow Device Tests
The NHS LFD tests supply service for patients potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments started on 6 November 2023.
Aims of the service
To offer eligible at-risk patients access to LFD tests to enable testing at home for COVID-19, if they develop symptoms of infection. A positive LFD test result will be used to inform a clinical assessment to determine whether the patient is suitable for and will benefit from NICE recommended COVID-19 treatments
What the service will provide
A walk-in service where patients or their representatives can collect one box of 5 LFD tests from a participating community pharmacy on confirmation that the patient is part of the potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments cohort.
Find a pharmacy that offers free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests using the post code search via the link below:
Find a pharmacy that offers free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Palliative and end of life drugs
Palliative and end of life drugs
Medications prescribed for symptom control in palliative care can be taken to any community pharmacy for dispensing. However, community pharmacies participating in the palliative care medicines stockist scheme for Northamptonshire ICB are required at all times to keep in stock palliative care medications (supply chain permitting).
Where can I access the service?
A full list of community pharmacies participating in the palliative care medicines stockist scheme in Northamptonshire, along with the medications that they stock, can be found in this directory document [pdf] 143KB.
Find documents relating to palliative and end of life drugs here
Vaccinations
Vaccinations
East Midlands Immunisation Clinical Advice Service (EMICAS) With the growing number of vaccination programmes now being delivered through pharmacies, we would like to remind you about the support available from the East Midlands Immunisation Clinical Advice Service (EMICAS). This service provides expert clinical advice on a wide range of immunisation related queries, including:
- Eligibility and contraindications
- Scheduling
- Patient Group Directions (PGDs)
- Support with managing vaccine incidents, including cold chain breaches and vaccination errors
Contact EMICAS via email on: england.imms@nhs.net . Please keep this information handy and see attached poster to display in clinical areas. No PID should be included when contacting the service.
EMICAS Poster [pptx] 247KB
Public Health Resources
Public Health Resources
As part of the Professional Information Network (PIN), North Northamptonshire Council’s Public Health Team have shared an Alert to the PIN, regarding the circulation of suspected adulterated substances, causing harm, adverse effects and hospitalisations:
Professional Alert - Adulterated Substances [pdf] 188KB
Northants CMDU Antiviral Stock holding Pharmacy:
Other guidance and resources
Other guidance and resources
Please find below guidance to support community pharmacy and GP practices to work together in managing medicines supply shortage in primary care:
Good Practice Guide for ‘Out of Stock’ Medicines in Primary Care. [pdf] 229KB
Tablet Press Extra Chronic Pain Resources.pdf [pdf] 123KB
Access to fidaxomicin weekends/out of hours urgently [pdf] 295KB
Change of Ownership [pptx] 110KB
Pharmacy Contraception Service - Highlight Summary - June 2025.pdf [pdf] 60KB
PF, BP, PCS - Overall Top Tips - June 2025.pdf [pdf] 213KB
Pharmacy Contraception Service - Top Tips - June 2025.pdf [pdf] 157KB
Labelling of Dispensed Oral Medicines for Children (NPPG) [pdf] 393KB
Highlight Summary - Blood Pressure Check Service July 2025.pdf [pdf] 77KB
Tips Guidance - Pharmacy Blood Pressure Check Service July 2025.pdf [pdf] 281KB
Extended care service
Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service
The Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service is a service specific to the Midlands region and is provided by authorised community pharmacies which have completed the relevant training and signed up to provide prescription-only medications (POM) under a patient group directive (PGD) for specific clinical conditions. The various clinical conditions are listed below.
Tier 1 services
- Simple UTI service for females age 16-64 years
- Acute bacterial conjunctivitis (ABC) service for children under 2 years
Tier 2 skin services
- Impetigo
- Infected eczema
- Infected insect bites
Tier 3 services
- Otitis media (middle ear infection), children aged 3 months to 16 years
Where can I access this service?
A full list of community pharmacies offering the Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service in Northamptonshire can be found in this directory document [pdf] 138KB.
Patient-facing information about the Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service in Northamptonshire is available on the 'Support from my pharmacy' page of the Integrated Care Northamptonshire website.
Find documents relating to the Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service here
For further details about the Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service please visit the NHS England website.
Education and Training
Education and Training
Please find below guidance to support community pharmacy education and training: