Hypertension Case-Finding Service
Hypertension Case-Finding Service
This advanced 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 usually 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.
Resources
Highlight Summary - Blood Pressure Check Service July 2025
Top Tips Guidance - Pharmacy Blood Pressure Check Service July 2025
Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks
If a Community Pharmacy need to plan any off site blood pressure checks, please request permission by completing the form below and emailing this to EAST MIDLANDS PHARMACY england.eastmidspharmacy@nhs.net. The team will evaluate the application and advise you of the outcome:
Pharmacy Contraception Service
Pharmacy Contraception Service
This advanced service offers people greater choice and access when considering their contraception needs. The service, provided by Pharmacists and/or Pharmacy Technicians, now includes:
- ongoing monitoring and supply of oral contraception prescriptions
- the initiation of oral contraception
- supply of oral emergency contraception
Visit the NHS England website for details of how to access the service.
Where can I access this service?
The NHS website can be used to find a local Pharmacy providing this service.
Resources
Community Pharmacy Contraception Service Webinar Recording (11/7/24)
Community Pharmacy Contraception Service Webinar Recording (12/11/24)
Pharmacy Contraception Service - Highlight Summary - June 2025
Pharmacy Contraception Service - Top Tips - June 2025
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
- Guidance on updating the Directory of Service
NHS111 Referral Escalation Actions poster
- How to access the 111 healthcare professionals line
- Social media content and key messages to download
NHS England Pharmacy First Advanced Service Specification
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- Service Specification
- Clinical Pathways
- PGDs and Protocols
- Pharmacy First Master PGD and Protocol authorisation sheet
Community Pharmacy England Pharmacy First service
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- 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
- Provides an overview of the minor illness and clinical pathway aspects
- Pages for Pharmacy professionals in the Midlands
Training
- Community Pharmacists are being offered a range of fully-funded, flexible training to expand their clinical skills and improve patient care.
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- 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
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Resources – General Practice
Minor Illness — Inclusion/Exclusion poster
- Printable poster for GP reception teams detailing inclusion and exclusion criteria for Pharmacy First minor illness
7 Clinical Conditions — Inclusion/Exclusion poster
- Printable poster for GP reception teams detailing inclusion and exclusion criteria for Pharmacy First 7 clinical conditions
- Printable poster to display within GP practices
- Animation on how to the Pharmacy First service works
- Explaining the digital referral process for SystmOne Practices using Ardens OR PharmRefer
- Explaining the digital referral process for EMIS practices
Introduction video for GP Practices
- Introduction to Pharmacy First for GP Practices presented by Dr Joanne Watt
Information video for Receptionists and Care Navigators
- Information on Pharmacy First for Receptionists and Care Navigators presented by Dr Joanne Watt
- Q&A between a PCN Manager and Receptionist around Pharmacy First benefits
- Q&A between a PCN Manager and Receptionist around Pharmacy First Ardens referral process
- Step by step training video on how to send a referral using the Booking and Referrals System (SystmOne practices only)
- Step by step guide on how to send a referral using the Booking and Referrals System (SystmOne practices only)
TPP BaRS & Preset Guide [docx] 1MB
- Step by step guide on how to add presets for SystmOne Booking and Referral Standard
FAQs for Healthcare Professionals
- NHS England FAQ document (detailed version)
- NHS England Midlands produced information for Emis and SystmOne practices
- Social media content and key messages to download
Information for Receptionists and Care Navigators
- NHS England Midlands and Northamptonshire ICB produced Pharmacy First summary aimed at GP Reception teams and Care Navigators
Pharmacy First by Community Pharmacy England
- Link to all Pharmacy First information on Community Pharmacy England's website
Service Specifications and Patient Group Directions
- Link to individual Pharmacy First Service Specifications and Patient Group Directions on the NHS England website
Lateral Flow Device Service
Lateral Flow Device Service
The NHS Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests supply service for patients potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments started as an advanced service 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.
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
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: