Contractors based in the north east and north Cumbria integrated care system (ICS) submitted 4,091 CPCS claims between December 1, 2019 – the first month from which pharmacies could start claiming for CPCS referrals – and November 30 last year, NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) said in response to a freedom of information (FOI) request by C+D.

They were closely followed by contractors in Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, who submitted 3,871 during that period. Pharmacists in the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership area submitted a total of 3,735 claims.

Contractors across England submitted a total of 60,316 claims to the NHS Business Service Authority (NHS BSA) between December 1, 2019 and November 30, 2020, according to NHS BSA data.

The next top claiming areas

CPCS payment data sourced from NHSBSA DPC Database, NHSBSA Copyright 2021

“Increased awareness of pharmacy”

Almost all (94%) community pharmacies in Greater Manchester are signed up to deliver the CPCS, a Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson told C+D.

Laura Browse, director of primary care at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership told C+D that the CPCS has helped “increase awareness of the role of community pharmacy and the important service it provides to our residents”.

“Greater Manchester is now starting to roll out an extension to this service through the GP CPCS, which will aim to divert more minor illness consultations from general practice to community pharmacists,” Ms Browse added.

North east and north Cumbria ICS and Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership were also contacted for comment.

C+D had initially asked NHS BSA to share data of the top 10 cities and counties to submit the most CPCS claims for consultations that took place in the first year of the service, between October 2019 and October 2020.

However, the NHS BSA said it does not hold information of contractors by city or county and that it could instead share a breakdown of the data by sustainability and transformation partnerships.

Every day this week – March 15-19 – C+D will be analysing the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) a year into its launch. Read all the coverage in the dedicated hub and join the conversation on the C+D Community.