The pharmacy IT supplier Cegedim has said it has gone live with NHS England’s booking and referral standard (BaRS) which will send GP referrals directly to pharmacies.

Tracey Robertson, the product and technology director for Cegedim Rx, said the new system was a “significant step for Pharmacy First,” given the lack of referrals to it from general practice, concerns that have increased following GPs' first industrial action in 60 years.

“We’re thrilled to see the NHS booking and referral standard being implemented by pharmacy and GP IT suppliers. This NHS pathway for patient referrals from GP to pharmacy is another significant step for Pharmacy First,” she said.

“Not just in delivering improved interoperability but also, as BaRS is a standardised messaging framework which is open to assured IT suppliers, pharmacies now have greater freedom to choose the right technology solution for them.”

Robertson said Cegedim’s clinical services platform Pharmacy Services, “will switch on functionality that will enable patient referrals to flow seamlessly from GP to pharmacy.”

She added: “For GPs who use a BaRS compliant solution, this will allow GP referrals to be delivered straight into pharmacy services in just the same way as those from NHS 111, removing unnecessary email traffic and rekeying effort.”