The October threshold for Pharmacy First clinical pathway consultations has been reduced from 30 to 20, it has been announced this afternoon (September 30).

Community Pharmacy England chief executive, Janet Morrison, welcomed the move, saying it will save “many community pharmacies” from missing out on a vital payment.  

“We will continue to monitor the service data and, if needed, make further representations to ministers about future months,” she said. “We also need to find a longer-term solution to this, which means NHS England marketing Pharmacy First effectively and ensuring that GPs are actively referring people to the service. 

 “It is encouraging that the new Government has now acted twice to support community pharmacies struggling to meet Pharmacy First targets that were insisted on by the previous administration. We have been working hard to build constructive relationships with the new health ministerial team and we look forward to recommencing negotiations on the 2024/25 CPCF very soon.” 

From October 1, new caps on the number of consultations that can be delivered per month will be introduced based on actual delivery of Pharmacy First clinical pathway consultations.  

A list of pharmacy owners, their assigned band and monthly cap can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority’s website.