Almost five million Pharmacy First consultations were delivered in the first year of the service in England, official data has confirmed.

The latest data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) shows that contractors in England submitted claims for 4,941,308 Pharmacy First consultations between February 2024 and January 2025.

Of those, more than half (2,735,577) were referred into pharmacies from GP surgeries or NHS111 and were claimed as minor illness or urgent medicine supply referrals.

The rest (2,205,731) were clinical pathway consultations that may have resulted from patient walk-ins.

Some 7,36,647 patients were seeking help for a sore throat, while the second most-used pathway was for uncomplicated UTIs in women, at 6,07,646 consultations.

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Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at Community Pharmacy England, said the figures from the first year were 'testament to the willingness of pharmacy teams to play their part in important health initiatives'.

'Community pharmacy teams have done an amazing job providing the service – despite several bumps along the way – building a solid foundation from which to grow,' he said.

He said the service was 'an important stepping stone towards a more clinical future', and CPE was advocating for the service to include more clinical pathways and independent prescribing in the future.

Total numbers of both clinical pathway and referral consultations dropped slightly in January 2025 after reaching their highest levels yet in December 2024.

Nick Thayer, head of policy, told The Pharmacist that it was 'common to see spikes of Pharmacy First consultations around bank holidays and when other providers may not be readily accessible'.

And he cited analysis of CCA pharmacies that found a 15% increase in activity during the CrowdStrike IT outage in July 2024 and a 10% increase in activity in the week leading up to Christmas.

He added that the seasonal nature of demand for sore throat care was 'showing how community pharmacy is increasingly supporting NHS winter pressures'.

And the high use of the service for UTIs – with more than a quarter of all consultations for UTIs each week and nearly 40% of all consultations  in September – 'likely reflects the accessibility of community pharmacy, offering access around patient work and caring commitments'.

Mr Thayer added: 'It is a testament to the professionalism and ability of the entire community pharmacy sector, that over 2 million clinical pathway consultations have been provided – from a standing start. When the sector receives the investment it needs, it can and does deliver for patients and the NHS.'

Over the last year, the seven clinical pathways have made up an increasing share of the total consultations, suggesting greater patient awareness of the service.

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Now, around half of Pharmacy First consultations in England come from GP or NHS 111 referrals, and around half are clinical pathway consultations, which may be informally signposted or patient walk-ins.

In January 2025, contractors had to complete 25 clinical pathway consultations to be eligible for the £1,000 monthly payment – an increase from the 20 required in December.

The increase meant that fewer contractors were able to meet the threshold, and just 4,940 contractors were eligible for the monthly payment in January – down from 6,194 the month before.

Overall, 9,265, or 87% of contractors in England, delivered at least one Pharmacy First consultation in January 2025, suggesting that the service is active in almost nine in ten pharmacies.

Tase Oputu, chair of the England board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), said the figures 'show the real impact Pharmacy First is having, with millions of patients getting faster access to care and easing pressure on GPs.'

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'To continue building on this success, pharmacy teams must be supported with the right funding, tools and training. Greater public awareness and maximising referrals into Pharmacy First will help more people access timely, expert care closer to home,' she said.

And Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association commented: 'This first year of Pharmacy First is a story of pharmacies delivering significant change for patients at pace and under intense pressure. It's clear that when the government invests in community pharmacy, it can deliver exceptional clinical care for patients and take pressure of the rest of our overstretched health system.

'We now need to look to a future where pharmacies are trusted to deliver more clinical services, with the right funding to achieve this.'