NHS Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Programme extended by another 12 months
A scheme which authorises specially trained pharmacists to prescribe NHS medicines directly to patients for a range of illnesses, without them needing to see their GP, is to be extended at four Derby and Derbyshire pharmacies for a further 12 months.
This enables patients to continue accessing NHS treatment for minor illnesses, contraception, menopause, acne, hypertension and lipid testing.
The Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Programme is available at:
- Evans Pharmacy, Breaston
- Good Life Pharmacy, Hatton
- Medicine Stop Pharmacy, Alfreton
- Pear Tree Pharmacy, Normanton
The Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme started out as a national pilot funded by NHS England, which ended on 31st December last year.
However, due to the success of the scheme and to help alleviate winter pressures, NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB helped fund an extension up to 31st March 2026. The pilot has been extended again, until 31 March 2027, as part of a regional scheme at pharmacies across Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
The new funding for 2026/27 covers 30 NHS consultations per month at each pharmacy and will offer more than 1,000 appointments for patients in Derby and Derbyshire who previously would have needed to see a GP.
Dr Dave Briggs, Executive Director of Outcomes, NHS Derby and Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICBs, said: “Community Pharmacy is playing an increasingly important role as a front door to the NHS, utilising the skills of our brilliant pharmacists to deliver patient-centred care much more effectively.
“The ability to prescribe for additional conditions, in addition to the hugely successful Pharmacy First service available at nearly all our community pharmacies, makes treatment more accessible to the public and allows GPs more time to focus on patients with more serious, persistent illnesses.
“Providing greater access to primary care in convenient high street locations is central to the vision of the NHS 10-year plan’s aim to move care from hospital to community.”
To date, participating Derby and Derbyshire pharmacies have provided more than 3,500 Independent Prescriber consultations to patients who otherwise would have visited their GP or urgent care facilities. With continuous positive feedback from reviews being received highlighting how important this service is to local communities.
The Independent Prescribing in Community Pharmacy Programme is in addition to the Pharmacy First scheme, which is widely available at community pharmacies across Derby and Derbyshire.
Pharmacy First can provide NHS treatments for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP (some age restrictions apply). For details about pharmacy first and the wide range of NHS services available from pharmacies see https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/your-services/pharmacy/pharmacy-first/