PHARMACY FIRST – A DEFINITE ‘WIN-WIN’
As the Pharmacy First Scotland and Pharmacy First Plus Scotland services celebrate their first anniversary, SP looks at how the impact they have had on both patient and pharmacist…
T
he NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service recently celebrated its first year of providing an extended service to
communities across Scotland.
The service was established in July last year to provide advice and treatment for a range of minor illnesses, such as constipation, diarrhoea, head lice, impetigo and threadworms, and was made available to anyone registered with a GP practice in Scotland or who lives in Scotland.
An extension to the service – NHS Pharmacy First Plus Scotland – was then established in September, supporting patients in accessing NHS pharmacist independent prescriber advice, treatment and referral through community pharmacy.
To date, both services have proven to be extremely successful. Indeed, the Pharmacy First Scotland service recently provided its one millionth interaction – with the service witnessing a major increase in use over the summer months – and patients able to have easy access to advice and treatment for a wide range of conditions that would previously have required a GP appointment.
Pharmacists across Scotland have told SP that they have appreciated the opportunity to employ their clinical skills through both of these new services. The provision of PGDs for shingles and skin infections, for example, has enabled pharmacists to treat patients that they would previously have had to refer onwards.
The service has also proved a very positive experience for patients – particularly during lockdowns and the ‘closed door’ GP service, which has been in place since the arrival of COVID-19, and enables people to be supported to keep well as close to home as possible.
The increased number of patient consultations for minor ailments has also had added benefits, with SP hearing of pharmacists picking up on cases of melanoma and referring patients immediately to the GP for further investigation.
The NHS Pharmacy First Plus Scotland service is also slowly bedding in, with the first cohorts of independent prescribers (IPs) offering an extended service to their communities.
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scottishpharmacist.com
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