Pharmacy First: Claim window now open for initial £2,000 fixed payment
Pharmacy owners who intend to provide the Pharmacy First service are now able to claim their initial £2,000 fixed payment.
All pharmacy owners who want to provide the Pharmacy First service (including those already providing the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)) must declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service (NHS Referrals for Minor Illness, Urgent Medicine Supply and the Clinical Pathway Consultations) on the NHS Business Services Authority Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.
The deadline for making this declaration is 11.59pm on 30th January 2024; however pharmacy owners who register by 11.59pm on 31st December 2023 will receive the payment on 1st February 2024 (those who register after this date but by 11.59pm on 30th January 2024, will receive the payment on 1st March 2024 instead).
Pharmacy owners who do not register by 11.59pm on 30th January 2024, will still be able to sign up for the Pharmacy First service after this date, but they will not be entitled to the £2,000 initial fixed payment.
Pharmacy owners must deliver a minimum of five Pharmacy First – clinical pathway consultations that cross the Gateway point by 11.59pm on 31st March 2024 to keep this £2,000 payment. Pharmacy owners who do not do this will have the £2,000 recovered.
Below is a summary table of the important dates relating to the initial £2,000 fixed payment as well as the switch from CPCS to the Pharmacy First service.
| Date | Information |
| 1st December 2023 | MYS portal opens to allow pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the initial fixed payment of £2,000. |
| Pharmacy owners can no longer register to provide CPCS. | |
| 11.59pm on 31st December 2023 | Deadline for pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the £2,000 initial fixed payment, if they want to receive the payment on 1st February 2024. |
| 30th January 2024 | CPCS finishes. |
| 11.59pm on 30th January 2024 |
Deadline for pharmacy owners to declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service and therefore claim the £2,000 initial fixed payment; this will be paid on 1st March 2024. Pharmacy owners can still declare that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First Service after this date, but they will not be entitled to the £2,000 initial fixed payment. |
| 31st January 2024 |
Pharmacy First service commences and pharmacy owners who have declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First Service on the MYS portal can start providing the service. |
| Pharmacy owners providing CPCS, who have not declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service will be de-registered from providing CPCS (and will be notified of this). | |
| 1st February 2024 | Pharmacy owners who declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service by 11.59pm on 31st December 2023 will be paid their £2,000 initial fixed payment. |
| 1st March 2024 | Pharmacy owners who declared that they agree to the terms and scope of the three elements of the Pharmacy First service by 11.59pm on 30th January 2024 will be paid their £2,000 initial fixed payment. |
| 11.59pm on 31st March 2024 |
Deadline for pharmacy owners to have delivered a minimum of five Pharmacy First – clinical pathway consultations that cross the Gateway point. If pharmacy owners have not delivered a minimum of five of these consultations by this date, they will have their £2,000 initial fixed payment recovered. |
Join us for a webinar
We are organising a series of webinars for pharmacy owners and their teams through December and January, with support from NHS England and the Centre for Postgraduate Education (CPPE). There will be two webinars on the Pharmacy First service; details can be found below:
Pharmacy First: Getting to know the service Maximum number of attendees reached – a recording will be made available
Wednesday 13th December 2023, 7-8.30pm
This webinar is intended to provide the initial launch information for the Pharmacy First service, outlining the core details and how the service will work.
We will explain the process used to develop the clinical pathways and PGDs, work through one of the clinical pathways, explore the learning and development requirements, and describe the accompanying digital systems which are in development.
David Webb, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England will also be speaking at the event.
Pharmacy First: Getting ready for launch Maximum number of attendees reached – a recording will be made available
Monday 15th January 2024, 7-8.30pm
This webinar will focus on how to get ready to launch the service, building on the content of the December webinar and providing further practical information.
We will provide a brief reminder of the service requirements, followed by a review of the resources available to pharmacy owners and their teams to support provision of the service.
An update on development of the digital systems to support the service will be provided and we will hear from a pharmacist who has experience of providing similar locally commissioned PGD services and their tips on how to conduct consultations.
We will also focus on answering the frequently raised questions and issues since the first webinar in December, alongside answering questions from attendees.
