The freezing of Pharmacy First thresholds in England for the rest of the year has been broadly welcomed by the community pharmacy sector.

Speaking at the Pharmacy Show last weekend, NHS England director for pharmacy, Ali Sparke, revealed that for November and December the target of 20 consultations per month needed to trigger the £1,000 activity payment will remain in place, rising to 25 per month in January and February 2025, and 30 per month from March 2025.

Commenting on the decision, Community Pharmacy England chief executive Janet Morrison said: “Whilst not as large a reduction as we wanted, these changes at least indicate ministers are taking a more pragmatic approach to Pharmacy First payment thresholds. This has been one of the key issues that we have been raising with the new government, alongside the desperate wider financial position for community pharmacies. 

“Pharmacy First needs to work - for pharmacies, for patients, and for general practice - and our work with the Department and NHS to ensure that will continue. We still need NHS England to effectively advertise the service to the public on an ongoing basis and to increase referral rates from general practices."

The freezing of the threshold for the rest of the calendar year has also been welcomed by the National Pharmacy Association and the Company Chemists Association.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees commented: “This latest revision to the thresholds shows that the government and NHS England are at least listening to the sector’s concerns and recognise that the situation on the ground is incredibly challenging.

“However, they need to go much further to incentivise Pharmacy First and to ensure that all the £645 million allocated to new NHS services ultimately reaches participating pharmacies. Otherwise the black hole in pharmacies’ finances will deepen still further, with potentially devastating consequences."

Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the CCA described the changes as “sensible and pragmatic”.

“We are pleased that the CCA’s regular and real-time collection of members’ Pharmacy First activity data has supported efforts to secure these changes. We now need NHS England to turbocharge GP referrals and promotion of Pharmacy First to the public, especially as we enter the winter period,” he said.