Pharmacy First: resources to promote the service

Community Pharmacy England has released a series of resources to help promote the new Pharmacy First service to patients and members of the public.

Community pharmacy owners and their teams are working extremely hard to get ready to provide the new Pharmacy First service from 31st January 2024. Much of this work has been focused on the logistics around provision of the service, and we have been providing a range of information, guidance and resources to support all pharmacists – including locums – and their teams with their journey to implementation.

However, for the self-referral (i.e. walk-in) aspect of the service to be a success, the general public need to know it is available. We have therefore prepared a number of promotional materials to support pharmacy owners and LPCs to raise awareness of the new service.

A variety of resources are available to download, including posters, social media content, flyers and a local press release. The messaging and graphics have been developed with the input of pharmacists and pharmacy owners, to highlight the benefits of the service to patients, the public, and the NHS.

Community Pharmacy England resources (UPDATED)

Our new shared folder allows you to easily download the latest versions of some or all of the following resources:

• Posters for display within pharmacies and for more general use (e.g. in general practice waiting rooms);
• Social media tiles and suggested social media posts about Pharmacy First;
• Videos and digital screen graphics;
• Small flyers about Pharmacy First; and
• Template local press release for Pharmacy First launch.

Download here: Pharmacy First promotional resources

NHS communications campaign

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are planning a significant communications campaign for Pharmacy First. This will feature community pharmacists and is planned to start in the second half of February, giving a little time for the service to bed in after its initial launch.

We are working closely with NHS England and DHSC on the campaign, providing feedback from our Committee of pharmacy owners. We have made sure NHS England understands the importance of  seeking to balance driving uptake of the seven clinical pathways with preventing inappropriate demand being driven into community pharmacy.

Further information about the campaign will be provided as soon as possible.