Sharp increase in NHS 111 referrals to pharmacy in 3 years

There has been a 1.5% increase to 2.5% in the number of referrals from NHS 111 to pharmacy in the last 3 years. About 1% of those calls were referred for access to a local service or self-care advice, and about 0.2% of calls were referred to the Integrated Care Clinical Assessment Service. 1.6% of calls referred to pharmacy in April 2018 were urgent repeat prescription referrals to community pharmacies providing the NHS Urgent Medicine Supply Advanced Service (NUMSAS), which was developed to provide a community pharmacy emergency supply service via NHS 111.
Chief pharmaceutical officer for England, Keith Ridge, said: “These increasing referrals from NHS 111 to local pharmacies are having a positive impact in ensuring patients receive appropriate and timely clinical care for minor health concerns while at the same time allowing more access to appointments for others who need to see a GP.”