Pharmacy First
Written by AlisonFreemantle on Wednesday 5th June 2024
A message from James Roach, Director of Primary Care at NHS Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB
Thank you
The uptake for the Pharmacy First programme in Hampshire and Isle of Wight has been outstanding. I want to thank all of our community pharmacies and colleagues who have launched this programme and worked in partnership with us to get it up and running.
As per verified February 2024 data we had almost 10,000 completed pharmacy first consultations, out of which over 4,200 were for the new seven clinical pathways. You and your teams have worked hard to ensure the links with GP practices are as seamless as possible and that completion rates are timely.
This programme shines a light on how we need to bring community pharmacies right into the heart of how we operate as primary care across Hampshire and Isle of Wight. Getting relationships right and putting in place services which bring clinical expertise together will lead to better patient outcomes and experience – an objective I know all of us are fully signed up to. We are also intending to plan a learning event with the LPC to invite all community pharmacies to focusing on Pharmacy First and other advanced services. We hope to confirm the details and next steps soon.
Thank you for playing your part in making Hampshire and Isle of Wight one of the top areas in South East for uptake to the Pharmacy First scheme.
James
