Pharmacy First at West Meon Surgery
Since January 2024, West Meon Surgery has (like other GP practices in England) been participating in the Pharmacy First scheme. Although it has been running for over a year, this scheme isn’t well known and is sometimes misunderstood. Below is some frequently asked questions about Pharmacy First, what it can offer and how it can help.
If we have no on the day availability, we may ask if you would like to be referred to your local pharmacy as part of this scheme. If you feel that a pharmacy can help, you can always ring and ask us to do this referral for you.
What is pharmacy first?
Pharmacy First is a service that allows patients to be referred to a community pharmacy for a minor illness.
What can a pharmacist do?
A pharmacist can see you for 7 common conditions, seen below:
| Condition | Age Range |
| Acute otitis media (Ear infection) | 1 to 17 years |
| Impetigo | 1 year and over |
| Infected insect bites | 1 year and over |
| Shingles | 18 years and over |
| Sinusitis | 12 years and over |
| Sore throat | 5 years and over |
| Uncomplicated UTI | Women 16-64 years |
How does it work?
If you present with one of the above conditions, you may be referred to your local community pharmacy.
Once there, you’ll be seen by a pharmacist in a private consulting room (A pharmacy without a private consulting room will not be able to offer this service, so your privacy will always be maintained.)
Pharmacists train for 5 years in the use of medicines and managing minor illnesses, so are well equipped to provide health and wellbeing advice.
Once the pharmacist has offered advice on over-the-counter medication or prescribed medication, a notification will be sent through to your GP surgery ensuring continuity of care.
Are people not registered with a GP eligible for the service?
Yes. As well as providing the service, the pharmacy team could also explain how the patient can register with a GP practice. When entering the patient’s details on the Pharmacy First IT system, use the “unknown” option for their GP, to enable you to continue with the consultation.
Why Pharmacy First?
Pharmacy First helps take pressure off NHS primary care services by allowing GP practices to refer to community pharmacies for non-urgent conditions. It allows GPs to engage with patients who need more in-depth treatment and care. Pharmacy First allows patients more flexibility, without having to wait for an appointment leading to quicker, more efficient treatment.
Some statistics (covering the period of 31st January to 30th April 2024)
78% of consultations resulted in a medicine being supplied to patients during the first three months of the service being active.
Over 9.976 community pharmacies delivered and claimed over 423,000 Pharmacy First clinical pathway consultations.
If you have any more questions about this scheme, please find some helpful links below:
NHS England » Community Pharmacy advanced service specification: NHS Pharmacy First Service