RE: Pharmacy First - Gateway Points and Payment Details

Dear Member,

To support your participation in the Pharmacy First service, here are key updates on consultation fees, monthly payments, and service thresholds.

Payment Details:

 •    Consultation Fee: £15 per completed consultation.

 •    Monthly Fixed Payment: £1,000 for pharmacies meeting a clinical pathways consultation threshold, starting at 1 consultation in February 2024, increasing to 30 per month by October 2024.

Gateway Points:

 •        Only clinical pathway consultations that cross the gateway point (reaching an outcome set out in the pathway without referral) will count toward your monthly minimum.

 •        The gateway point is triggered when a consultation follows the clinical decision-making steps without referring patients to another service.

 •        For more details on when a service reaches the gateway point, click the link below:  https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PRN00936_ii_Pharmacy-First-Clinical-Pathways-v.1.6.pdf

Service Thresholds:

  •             September 2024 Threshold: 20 consultations.

  •             October 2024 and Onward: 30 consultations per month.

  •             By March 31, 2025: Pharmacy owners must provide the Pharmacy Contraception and Hypertension Case-Finding Services to continue qualifying for the fixed monthly payment.

Activity Caps:

 •             From April 2024, a monthly cap of 3,000 consultations per pharmacy will apply.

Next Steps:

1.  Ensure all Pharmacy First consultations cross the gateway point to count toward your threshold.

2.  Track your consultations to meet the required thresholds for block payments.

3.  Prepare to offer additional services (Pharmacy Contraception, Hypertension Case-Finding) by March 31, 2025.

For more details, please refer to the resources or contact us with any questions on info@pharmaplusltd.co.uk

Regards,

PharmaPlus