An interim payment threshold will be introduced for pharmacies delivering clinical pathway consultations under Pharmacy First.

The move will come into force from June and comes as part of the Pharmacy First monthly incentive payments system.

Contractors who deliver 20-29 clinical pathway consultations in a month will receive a £500 interim payment, while those who reach the target of 30 or more will get the full £1,000 monthly payment.

To enable the variable payment, the claim window for these consultations will be reduced to one month from June, the government has said as part of the new contract.

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Blood pressure, Pharmacy First and contraception 'bundle'

To be eligible for monthly payments from June, contractors must be registered and able to deliver the Hypertension Case Finding Service, Pharmacy Contraception Service and Pharmacy First service in addition to the minimum activity requirement for delivering the clinical pathways.

From October 2025, they will also be required to deliver one ambulatory blood pressure monitoring per month.

And from March 2026, a minimum number of contraception consultations – yet to be agreed with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) – will be introduced.

Continued funding for Pharmacy First with some uplifted fees

The new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), announced yesterday, confirmed that funding for Pharmacy First would be continued for 2025/26.

A letter sent to contractors outlined that £215m is available to be earned through the Pharmacy First, blood pressure and pharmacy contraception services, in addition to the £3.073bn global sum.

And there are uplifted fees for clinical pathway and minor illness consultations.

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From this month, pharmacies will receive:

  • £17 per minor illness referrals and clinical pathway consultations
  • £15 per urgent medicine supply

Reviewed clinical pathways to be published 'shortly'

NHS England (NHSE) has been reviewing the seven clinical pathways that form part of the service, and will publish updated versions 'shortly', the government has said.

But despite calls from the sector to enable walk-in consultations for all minor ailments, pharmacies will only receive payment under the scheme for seven clinical pathways and referrals from GPs and NHS 111.

In its letter to contractors, the Department of Health and Social Care outlined changes to the service in England.

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'As is currently the case, only consultations under the clinical pathways element of Pharmacy First will count towards eligibility for the initial and ongoing fixed payments.

'Separately from these discussions, NHSE has undertaken a clinical review of the clinical pathways, and the updated pathways will be published shortly,' it said.