Pharmacies in England can now register interest in providing the new Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS), announced by NHS England and NHS Improvement today.
This will mean you can receive referrals from NHS111 for minor illnesses and urgent medicines supply when the service goes live on 29 October. A similar service is currently being piloted through local GP surgeries which could be rolled out from April 2020.
A service specification has been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement on the NHS CPCS registration page on the NHS Business Services Authority’s Manage Your Services portal.
Chair of RPS in England Claire Anderson said:
“This is fantastic news for patients, as it will give them faster access to a clinician for same-day consultations for minor illnesses. It’s also important, practical recognition of the intention in the NHS Long Term plan to expand the clinical role of community pharmacists and enable more collaborative working with the primary care team. I strongly encourage all community pharmacies to register their interest.
“Pharmacists’ expertise is central to the Long Term Plan. It’s vital that pharmacy teams make the most of this opportunity and demonstrate that we can deliver care to the highest standards. This is a chance to shine and show patients, other healthcare professionals and the NHS exactly what we are capable of as a profession.
“I’m confident pharmacists signing up for the CPCS will do an incredible job of delivering for patients and the NHS. Delivery of the CPCS will help open doors to future opportunities for the profession so we all need to get behind it and make it a success.
“The CPCS is a win-win. It improves patient care and reinforces the role of community pharmacists as clinicians. I hope as many pharmacies as possible opt to provide the service.”
The new service replaces the NHS Urgent Medicines Supply Advanced Service and Digital Minor Illness Referral Service pilots which were funded by the Pharmacy Integration Fund. Pharmacists are being asked to use the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education website where bespoke self-assessment tool and other online resources are available.