The Company Chemists’ Association estimates that the sector delivered approximately 1.9 million Pharmacy First consultations last year
Community pharmacy continues to play a crucial role in providing patients with access to essential NHS care through the Pharmacy First service, especially when other parts of the healthcare system are difficult to reach.
According to the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), the sector delivered an estimated 65,000 Pharmacy First consultations in the week leading up to Christmas, marking a 10 per cent increase compared to previous weeks.
At a Rowland’s Pharmacy in Warsop, Mansfield, pharmacist Taseta saw a notable rise in the number of patients seeking consultations for sore throats, particularly among school children and staff.
The pharmacy also experienced an increase in urinary tract infection (UTI) consultations, while earache cases remained consistent.
Taseta explained the surge, noting, “Lots of people do not want to be ill over Christmas so [they] wanted easy and quick access to care, which we could do in the pharmacy.”
They also saw more patients engaging with the Pharmacy Contraception Service, which Taseta attributed to time constraints at the local surgery.
“The Pharmacy First service is very well received locally especially during holiday periods when GP appointments can be hard to get, [and] the other alternative is walk-in centres, which for our location is a good few miles away. As such the pharmacy is very convenient,” she added.
During the CrowdStrike IT outage in July 2024, the CCA reported a 15 per cent increase in Pharmacy First consultations.
CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison underscored the potential for expanding Pharmacy First to deliver “even greater patient access into primary care.”
He believes it is integral to realising the government’s vision of “shifting care out of hospital and into community and focusing on preventing sickness rather than treating it.”
“Community pharmacies offer an accessible and convenient way to do this,” he said.
The CCA estimated that the sector delivered approximately 1.9 million Pharmacy First consultations in 2024.
