Unscheduled Care

Financial Framework · 2025-26

Global Sum

Recognising the vital role community pharmacy plays in treating patients who require unscheduled care — particularly over weekends and public holidays.

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At a Glance

2025-26 Funding

Annualised Pool

£3.58m

Shared proportionally across contractors delivering unscheduled care services.

Type

Global
Sum

All contractors benefit from this funding as part of the core Global Sum arrangement.

Key Service

Urgent
Supply PGD

The National PGD for Urgent Supply of Repeat Medicines is the cornerstone of unscheduled care delivery.

Overview

Community Pharmacy & Unscheduled Care

Service developments implemented within community pharmacy have led to pharmacies becoming an important access route for people requiring unscheduled care — particularly over weekends and public holidays. An annualised pool of £3.58 million recognises the work undertaken in the treatment of unscheduled care.

Community pharmacy contractors provide a valuable support service to both NHS 24 and local Out of Hours (OOH) services. Sometimes when patients are reviewed by a pharmacist, the pharmacist determines they require to see a doctor or OOH nurse — in these cases a direct referral can be made.

Contractors are responsible for ensuring all their pharmacists who are using the National PGD for Urgent Supply of Repeat Medicines and Appliances have completed the required training. The ECS enquiry number and Professional to Professional numbers for each Health Board's OOH service must never be made available to the public.

Services Delivered

Unscheduled Care Service Components

National PGD — Urgent Supply of Repeat Medicines
Developed by NHS 24 on behalf of NHS Scotland and implemented by NHS Boards. Enables contractors to provide patients with up to one prescribing cycle of their repeat medicines and appliances in a wide range of circumstances where obtaining a prescription is not practicable — ensuring continuity of care and easing pressure on primary care and OOH services.
Out of Hours Support
Community pharmacy contractors act as an important first point of contact when primary care services are unavailable. Pharmacists triage patients and, where appropriate, escalate to OOH or other health services, supporting NHS 24 and reducing avoidable OOH attendances.
Direct Referral to OOH
Where a pharmacist determines a patient requires to see a doctor or OOH nurse — for example, tracking skin infections or other conditions that cannot wait — they complete the Direct Referral Form Template, using the "Guide to direct referral" table as a guide to the most appropriate support.
Medicines Supply in Unscheduled Circumstances
The PGD covers a wide range of circumstances where obtaining a prescription is not practicable, ensuring patients are not left without essential medicines outside normal hours — a critical safety net for patient care.

Contractor Responsibilities

Key Requirements

Contractors Must Ensure

All pharmacists using the National PGD for Urgent Supply of Repeat Medicines and Appliances have completed the required training

The ECS enquiry number and Professional to Professional OOH numbers for each Health Board are never made available to the public

Direct referrals to OOH are completed using the Direct Referral Form Template and the "Guide to direct referral" table on the CPS Unscheduled Care page

Pharmacists are aware of and operate within the national service specifications for unscheduled care services