EXCLUSIVE

An NHS England “vanguard” site is planning to use pharmacists' out-of-hours accessibility to improve emergency care, C+D has learned.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group (CCG) told C+D that it was considering "significant" work with pharmacists as one of eight pilot sites that NHS England chose last month to “spearhead” new ways of delivering urgent care. 

It set out plans to direct patients to pharmacies on Saturdays, which would "mainly" see pharmacists handling repeat prescription requests and potentially using the electronic prescription service (EPS) to do so, the CCG said.

The group also expressed hopes to make use of pharmacists' expertise in self-care. “Patients could be directed by out-of-hours services and NHS 111 to community pharmacies for advice and – where appropriate – to purchase over-the-counter treatments for minor ailments and self-limiting conditions,” it explained.

As part of the pilot – which NHS England will support from its £200 million transformation fund – prescribing pharmacists could also work in the area's NHS 111 clinical team to deal with acute conditions and medicine queries, the CCG said.

The CCG added that it will engage with the local pharmaceutical committee (LPC) for any pharmacy services commissioned as part of the project.

Cambridgeshire is the second “vanguard” site to reveal its plans for pharmacists, after South Devon and Torbay said it will incorporate pharmacists into a “single team” delivering unplanned care.

How can commisioners better use pharmacists to support urgent care?

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