Thresholds for the monthly Pharmacy First payments have been lowered until March 2025, it has been announced.

NHS England’s director of pharmacy, optometry and dentistry, Ali Sparke, said the thresholds for clinical pathway consultations would be ‘revised downward’ in recognition of the ‘levels of pain going on in the sector’.

He was speaking at this year’s Pharmacy Show, held in Birmingham today.

During a keynote address Mr Sparke confirmed the new minimum number of clinical pathway consultations required by pharmacies in order to receive a fixed payment of £1,000 per month were:

  • November 2024: 20
  • December 2024: 20
  • January 2025: 25
  • February 2025: 25
  • March 2025: 30

This is the third time moves have been made to reduce the thresholds, amid concerns from the sector about achieving them.

Under original plans at the time of launching Pharmacy First, the number required to claim the fixed payment was due to stand at 30 from October 2024.

Mr Sparkes recognised the move to reduce the thresholds was ‘quite a big departure from where we were before’.

However, he added: ‘We think it’s really important to balance the levels of pain going on in the sector and continue to support pharmacies.’

Mr Sparke said the decision had come about following discussions with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) – who he said had been ‘very clear about the importance of those changes’.

Responding to the announcement, CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said: ‘Whilst not as large a reduction in the thresholds as we wanted, these changes at least indicate ministers are taking a much more pragmatic approach to Pharmacy First payment thresholds.

‘This has been one of the key issues that we have been raising with the new government, alongside the desperate wider financial position for community pharmacies, so we are grateful that some longer-term adjustments have now been made.’

She added: ‘Pharmacy First needs to work: for pharmacies, for patients, and for general practice; and our work with the Department [of Health and Social Care] and NHS to ensure that it will continue.’

Ms Morrison called on NHSE to ‘effectively advertise the service to the public on an ongoing basis and to increase referral rates from general practices’.

‘It is critical that this now happens to allow patients and the public to receive care closer to home; to help improve access to general practice; and to allow community pharmacies to maximise the amount of allocated funding that they can earn from this important service,’ she said.

‘This latter point remains a key concern for us as we prepare to re-enter funding negotiations with government, and we will continue to monitor the situation carefully.’