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The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that all pharmacies must support a campaign to promote greater use of Pharmacy First.
In a letter sent to all pharmacy contractors on 1 September 2025, the DHSC said that a campaign promoting Pharmacy First was “expected to run later in 2025/2026, with dates to be confirmed”.
“All pharmacies will need to participate in this campaign, using relevant materials to promote Pharmacy First to the public. This will take place alongside an NHS England campaign aimed at the wider public. Further details on how contractors must engage in the campaign will be published shortly,” the letter added.
The letter also set out dates for when changes to the two-year community pharmacy contract will be introduced.
It also named 1 October 2025 as the provisional date for the start of new Pharmacy First clinical pathways and patient group directions (PGDs).
Draft versions of the new PGDs include updates around exclusion criteria and availability of formulations, where relevant. Updated documentation will be published on the NHS England website on 1 October 2025.
The expansion of the pharmacy contraception service has been provisionally set for 29 October 2025, which covers the inclusion of oral emergency contraception and allows pharmacy technicians to provide the service.
The DHSC also set 29 October 2025 as a provisional date for the introduction of changes to the new medicine service, which will include depression as an eligible therapeutic area.
The letter said that the changes “offer further support to patients and the wider NHS”.
“Work is ongoing with IT system suppliers to make changes to their systems ahead of the commencement of the changes and further communications will be issued via the primary care bulletin to confirm dates for launch in the coming weeks,” the letter added.
Commenting on Pharmacy First campaign, Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services at Community Pharmacy England, said: “Pharmacy First is an important service for the sector and its ongoing promotion to the public is of critical importance to its success.
“It makes absolute sense to combine forces with the wider NHS marketing campaign ahead of the busy winter season when the service is likely to be of most value to patients struggling to access other parts of the healthcare system.”
The Pharmacy First scheme in Scotland was amended in August 2025 to include two updated PGDs for treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) and impetigo, which will cover nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim for UTIs and fusidic acid for impetigo.
According to Community Pharmacy Scotland, the updated PGDs have been reviewed by the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group and signed off by NHS 24 for use in all health boards.
