NHS Pharmacy First Plus

Financial Framework · 2025-26

Global Sum

An Independent Prescriber-led clinical conditions service, enabling extended assessment and prescribing beyond the core Pharmacy First service.

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Overview

What Is NHS Pharmacy First Plus?

NHS Pharmacy First Plus (PFP+) is an enhancement to the national NHS Pharmacy First service. It enables community pharmacists who are Independent Prescribers (IPs) to provide extended clinical assessment and prescribe medicines for a broader range of conditions within the community pharmacy setting.

It builds directly on the core Pharmacy First service, which already allows all community pharmacists to provide advice, treatment and, where appropriate, supply medicines for common clinical conditions under nationally agreed Patient Group Directions (PGDs). PFP+ goes further — only Community Pharmacist Independent Prescribers (CPIPs) can deliver this service.

Introduced via Circular PCA(P)(2020)16. Any contractor wishing to sign up should complete the form found in Annex A of that circular. The service should only be made available once the prescribing IP is able to prescribe as an IP on the NHS.

At a Glance

Key Figures

Base Payment

£3,000

Per month for each full month the service is made available. Requires 25hrs availability spread across the week.

Activity Pot (Monthly)

£0.5m

Monthly IP prescribing activity pot from 1 November 2025. No minimum activity threshold to access.

Supply Payment Cap

£40

Maximum capped payment per supply claim. A minimum of £30 is paid regardless of volumes.

Payment Structure

Base Payment + Activity Payment

Base Payment

£3,000 / month

Made to the contractor named on the Board's pharmaceutical list at the 1st day of that month for each full month the service is made available. Where the service starts during the month, claimed activity will be recognised and paid.

Requires 25 hours of CPIP availability spread across the week. Multiple CPIPs' hours can be combined — but must cover different days, not the same day.

Activity Payment

£0.5m pot / month

From 1 November 2025, contractors delivering the service will receive an activity payment from a newly established monthly pot for IP prescribing activity. No minimum activity threshold to access this pot.

Advice and Referral claims continue to be paid from the standard NHS PFS activity pot at a relative weighting of 1.

UCF Claim Types from 1 February 2025

Advice Only

Select Pharmacy First Plus – Advice when advice only is provided.

Prescribing Event

Select Pharmacy First Plus – Prescribing where a prescription is required. NHS IP pad must still be used.

Supply Claim

Capped at £40, minimum £30. Paid from the PFS Plus activity pot.

Eligible Supply Outcomes

Where an IP has determined treatment is absolutely necessary, a PFS Plus "Supply" claim may be submitted for:

A prescription-only medicine (POM) written on an NHS Board-issued IP pad

A pharmacy (P) or general sales list (GSL) product used outside its P or GSL licence restrictions

A P/GSL product on the approved list used outside its licensed restrictions

How to Join

Signing Up for NHS Pharmacy First Plus

1
Complete Annex A
Complete the sign-up form in Annex A of Circular PCA(P)(2020)16 and submit to your Health Board.
2
Confirm IP Availability
The service provider completes a self-declaration to confirm a pharmacist IP is available for a minimum of 25 hours spread across the week.
3
Obtain Prescriber Code
The IP must have a prescriber code and NHS prescription pad before the service goes live. The service should only be made available once able to prescribe on the NHS.