Summary

This campaign is all about helping healthcare providers to make referrals into the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service.

In this toolkit you’ll find the following resources:

• social media content (Static visuals and copy)
• A4 Poster
• leaflet (Translations, easy read)
• display screen resources

Guidance

There are resources in this toolkit for GP practices and urgent and emergency care providers. Practices and Primary Care Networks should primarily utilise the assets indicated for their use.

The best way for GP practices and Primary Care Networks to interact with this campaign is to:

• publish social media resources to GP practice and PCN social media accounts
• print and host posters in GP practice site waiting rooms
• print leaflets and leave them in the practice waiting room
• Host display screen resources on waiting room screens

Referring suitable patients to a community pharmacist for consultation under CPCS helps improve access to primary care services, supports patients to be treated by the right healthcare professional at the right time and improves the integration of community pharmacy into urgent care.

A big part of this campaign is about baselining patient expectations; some key messages to include in customising your communications are:

• it may be more Appropriate to have your NHS consultation with a pharmacist instead of the GP practice.
• you can choose to have your consultation with any pharmacy convenient to you
• the Pharmacist consultation will be confidential
• Pharmacists are highly skilled healthcare professionals who have trained in medicines and can give health advice and help you manage your condition
• if treatment for symptoms is required, the pharmacist may suggest an over-the-counter medicine
• if the pharmacist thinks you need to see another healthcare professional, they will help arrange it
• with your consent, the pharmacist will ensure your medical record is updated with the outcome of your consultation

An integral part of this campaign is improving your communications with local pharmacy providers. We recommend GP practices and Primary Care Networks take the time to watch this short video on how improving communications with pharmacies: How general practices can successfully refer patients to community pharmacies for minor illness consultations

Link

To access the communications resources, use this link: Supporting general practice referrals into community pharmacy consultation service; includes assets to support the referral of suitable patients to a community pharmacist consultation.

General practice enhanced access