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NHS Pharmacy First Scotland allows community pharmacies to give people expert help in treating common clinical conditions. Pharmacy teams offer advice, treatment, or referral to other healthcare teams if required.
The service
What is Pharmacy First Scotland?
NHS Pharmacy First Scotland is a service that allows community pharmacies to provide clinical assistance in treating conditions such as sore throats, earaches and cold sores, as well as common clinical conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs). Pharmacy teams offer advice, treatment, or referral to other healthcare professionals if necessary.
For many people this can be a way to access care in the right place, and may mean a visit to a GP practice or local Accident and Emergency Department is not needed for non-urgent treatment.
Choose a topic
What do you need help with?
Select a topic to open the full guidance, including the claiming scenarios for Standard NHS PFS, PGDs and CPIP consultations.
Check before you supply
Items prescribed under Pharmacy First that are not on the Approved List are rejected for payment, and will appear in your eSchedule.
Open the Approved ListActivity weightings at a glance
CPIP treatmentClaimed on NHS PFS Plus. Payment comes from the IP Prescribing Activity Pot, with the medicine reimbursed from the CPIP Rx pad.
One activity is credited per condition, so medicines for separate conditions go on separate claims.
Your guidance
Eligibility for the NHS PFS Service
The following persons are eligible for the service:
- a person registered with the Defence Medical Services (even if they are a visitor to Scotland)
- a person registered on a permanent basis with a GP Practice in Scotland
- a person registered on a temporary basis with a GP Practice in Scotland (unless they are a visitor to Scotland)
- a person who lives in Scotland
- a person who is a gypsy or traveller in Scotland
- a person who is an asylum seeker in Scotland or a dependent of an asylum seeker in Scotland
A visitor to Scotland, which has the meaning given in paragraph 2.2 of the 2020 Directions. Please read the additional notes below for more details.
Please read these additional notes
For the purposes of the operation of the NHS PFS Service:
- A gypsy or traveller is someone who is part of distinct groups, such as Roma, Romany Gypsies, Scottish and Irish Travellers, who consider the travelling lifestyle part of their ethnic identity
- An asylum seeker is someone who has lodged an application for international protection under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention or Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and is awaiting a decision from the UK Government
- A visitor is someone who is away from their normal place of residence and who intends to stay in Scotland for less than 3 months. A person who is registered with a GP Practice in Scotland on a temporary basis and who is a visitor to Scotland under the 2020 Directions is not eligible to receive the service
- A person in Scotland who is an asylum seeker, a dependent of an asylum seeker, a gypsy or traveller is not a visitor to Scotland for the purposes of the 2020 Directions
Your guidance
Standard Pharmacy First Scotland (NHS PFS)
Making claims for Standard NHS Pharmacy First Scotland following a valid consultation.
| Scenario | Explanation | Action required |
|---|---|---|
| A patient only needs advice or chooses to purchase an OTC medicine following an eligible consultation. | This is one advice activity, being made under Standard NHS PFS. | Make one claim on Standard NHS PFS - Advice. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
| A patient has one condition, a headache. After an eligible consultation providing advice, they are supplied with paracetamol to treat their headache. | This is one supply activity, being made under Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when products are supplied. | Supply the medicine on Standard NHS PFS - Treatment. There is no need for a separate claim for the advice provided. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. Medicines on the Approved List will be reimbursed. |
| A patient has one condition, head lice. After consultation with advice, two medicines from the Approved List to treat their single condition, dimeticone 4% lotion and a Nitcomb, are supplied. | This is one condition, being treated under Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when products are supplied. | Supply both medicines on the same Standard NHS PFS - Treatment. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. Medicines on the Approved List will be reimbursed. |
| A patient has two conditions, acne and a sore throat. After consultation with advice, Acnecide 5% Gel and Benzydamine 0.15% Oromucosal Spray Sugar Free, both from the Approved List, are supplied. | This is two conditions, both being treated under Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when products are supplied. | All medicines supplied for each individual condition should be supplied on separate Standard NHS PFS - Treatment claims, in this case Acnecide on one and Benzydamine on the other. This ensures an activity is allocated for each condition, in this case two activities (2 / 0.2) in total. |
| The patient has symptoms of a throat infection and is given advice and referred to another healthcare provider out with the community pharmacy. This could include referral to a CPIP Pharmacist in a different community pharmacy. | This is one referral activity, being made under Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Make one claim on Standard NHS PFS - Referral. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
| The patient has symptoms of a throat infection and is referred to the pharmacist in the community pharmacy. | This is one condition, with all consultations taking place in the same pharmacy. At this stage nothing is claimed. | Do not make any claim at this stage. The pharmacist will make the appropriate claim in line with the outcome of their consultation with the patient. |
Your guidance
PGD Pharmacy First Scotland (NHS PFS)
PGDs can be used by a CPIP within the inclusion criteria to manage workload.
Making claims for PGD NHS Pharmacy First Scotland.
| Scenario | Explanation | Action required |
|---|---|---|
| A patient with a UTI only needs advice. | This is one advice activity with a weighting of 1 / 0.1, being made under NHS PFS UTI PGD. | Make one claim on NHS PFS UTI PGD - Advice. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
| A patient needs one medicine, supplied on PGD, trimethoprim to treat their UTI. | This is one treatment activity on the NHS PFS UTI PGD, with a weighting of 5 / 0.5. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Supply the trimethoprim on NHS PFS UTI PGD - Treatment. One activity will be credited with a weighting of 5 / 0.5. Medicines on the Approved List will be reimbursed. |
| A patient needs two medicines: trimethoprim on PGD to treat a UTI, and paracetamol for pain relief from the Approved List. | This is one condition, being treated under both NHS PFS UTI PGD and Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Supply the trimethoprim on NHS PFS UTI PGD - Treatment, credited with a weighting of 5 / 0.5. Supply the paracetamol on Standard NHS PFS - Treatment, credited 1 / 0.1. Medicines on the Approved List will be reimbursed. |
| A patient has one or more of the exclusion criteria for the relevant PGD and cannot be treated in the community pharmacy. | This is one referral activity on NHS PFS UTI PGD, with a weighting of 1 / 0.1. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Make one claim on NHS PFS UTI PGD - Referral. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
Your guidance
CPIP Consultation Pharmacy First Scotland (NHS PFS)
Making claims for CPIP NHS Pharmacy First Scotland, following a Community Pharmacist Independent Prescriber consultation.
| Scenario | Explanation | Action required |
|---|---|---|
| A patient only needs advice following an IP consultation. | This is one advice activity being made under CPIP NHS PFS. | Make one claim on NHS PFS Plus - Advice. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
| A patient needs one medicine, supplied on CPIP Rx, penicillin V to treat their throat infection. | This is one condition being treated on the CPIP NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Supply the penicillin V on the CPIP Rx pad and make one claim on NHS PFS Plus - Treatment. Payment will be made from the IP Prescribing Activity Pot, and the cost of the medicine reimbursed from the CPIP Rx pad. |
| A patient needs two medicines, penicillin V on CPIP Rx and paracetamol for related pain relief on the Approved List. | This is one condition, being treated under both CPIP Rx and Standard NHS PFS. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when the claim is made. | Supply the penicillin V on CPIP Rx pad and claim on NHS PFS Plus - Treatment, paid from the IP Prescribing Activity Pot. Supply the paracetamol on Standard NHS PFS - Treatment, credited 1 / 0.1. |
| A patient needs two medicines, penicillin V for their throat infection and co-codamol 30/500 for related pain relief. Both supplied on CPIP Rx. | This is one condition, being treated on CPIP Rx. | Supply both on CPIP Rx and make one claim on NHS PFS Plus - Treatment. Payment is made from the IP Prescribing Activity Pot, and the cost of medicines reimbursed from the pad. |
| A patient with a sore throat has a consultation with the CPIP who supplies paracetamol. | This is one supply activity, being made under Standard NHS PFS by the CPIP. Advice being given is implied and accounted for when products are supplied. | Supply the medicine on Standard NHS PFS - Treatment, credited 1 / 0.1. Make one claim on NHS PFS Plus - Advice to flag that the consultation was carried out by an IP, credited 1 / 0.1. |
| A patient's symptoms are out with the current competence of the CPIP and require referral to another healthcare provider out with the community pharmacy. | This is one referral activity, being made under CPIP NHS PFS. | Make one claim on Standard NHS PFS - Referral. 1 / 0.1 activity will be credited. |
Your guidance
Patient Resources
Supporting material you can print, share or hand to patients.
- NHS Pharmacy First Scotland, Information for Patients - open or download the PDF
- Other languages - the same leaflet is available in a range of languages from gov.scot
- Patient Journey Flow Chart - download the flow chart
- PCA(P)(2020)13 - the circular that established the service is on our news pages
Keep them coming
We run articles on specific aspects of the service throughout the year, driven by the questions members send in. Email enquiries@cps.scot with anything you would like covered.
Your guidance
Approved List of Products
Everything that can be supplied for the conditions within the scope of the service is listed in the Approved List. Items prescribed under Pharmacy First that are not on the list are rejected for payment, and will appear in your eSchedule.
Keeping the list up to date
- The list is reviewed regularly, with changes announced through our news pages and Scottish Government circulars
- On behalf of NHS Health Boards, we collect suggestions for amendments from members and their teams, whether additions, replacements or deletions, through the Approved List Reporter
- If claims are being rejected, our summary of the top 25 rejected items covers the most common reasons and how to avoid them
Related guidance
- Supporting information for the service, including patient resources and guidance
- Processing claims
- Pharmacy First changes: questions and answers
- Pharmacy First SG circulars
Reference
Key Resources
Approved List of Products →
Everything that can be supplied for conditions within the scope of the service.
PCA(P)(2020)13 →
The Scottish Government circular that established NHS Pharmacy First Scotland.
Patient Leaflet →
Information for patients, available in a range of languages from gov.scot.
Approved List Reporter →
Suggest additions, replacements or deletions to the Approved List.
Top 25 Rejected Items →
Why claims fail most often, and how to avoid it happening again.
Pharmacy First FAQs →
Questions and answers on the remuneration model and Pharmacy First Plus.
National services
Other Services in the National Suite
Whilst core services must be delivered by all community pharmacies on the pharmaceutical list, the national suite of services is optional. That said, the vast majority of pharmacies in Scotland offer all of these services.
Stoma Service →
Support and supplies for people using stoma appliances.
Unscheduled Care →
Urgent supply of repeat medicines and appliances.
Pharmacy Champions →
Public health support delivered through community pharmacy teams.
Gluten Free Food Service →
Gluten free foods supplied to patients with coeliac disease.
Pharmacy First Scotland refresher: join our live AMA on Thursday 20th August, 19:30–21:00 on Microsoft Teams. Bring your questions