After months of negotiations, pharmacists in the UK have reached a deal to secure better funding and to widen their scope.
The deal worth 1.2 billion Australian dollars was signed last month and will see the launch of the national ‘Pharmacy First Service’ which enables pharmacists in England to provide advice and services funded by the National Health Service (NHS).
Pharmacists will also be able to prescribe medication for seven conditions which are:
- sinusitis
- sore throat
- acute otitis media
- infected insect bite
- impetigo
- shingles
- uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
Pharmacists will be able to treat patients who present to their practices or have been referred to by GPS or the NHS.
The agreement will also see the expansion of the Pharmacy Contraception Service and the Hypertension Case Finding service.
To help prepare the sector for the wider role, each pharmacy will receive more than four thousand dollars upfront and two thousand dollars per month to deliver the Pharmacy First service.
The Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, Janet Morrison described the agreement as a “huge positive” for the sector.
“It will allow new money to flow into pharmacies, building on the immense contribution they played during the pandemic offering accessible advice and support in every community.
It creates the building blocks for a clinical future maximising the use of the skills and professional competence of pharmacists and their teams,” she said.
