This letter confirms that the new NHS Pharmacy First advanced service will launch on Wednesday 31 January 2024.

The new Pharmacy First Service will enable community pharmacists to complete episodes of care for patients without the need for the patient to visit their general practice. This, alongside expansions to the pharmacy blood pressure checking and contraception services, will save up to 10 million general practice team appointments a year and help patients access quicker and more convenient care, including the supply of appropriate medicines for minor illness.

The Pharmacy First Service builds on the previous Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) by enabling community pharmacies to manage patients for seven common conditions, following specific clinical pathways. The overall service consists of three core elements:

• Pharmacy First (clinical pathways) – new element
• Pharmacy First (urgent repeat medicine supply) – previously commissioned as the CPCS.
• Pharmacy First (NHS referrals for minor illness) – previously commissioned as the CPCS.

The seven conditions are:

Should I go private?

If you are considering seeking private treatment, you should always discuss this with your GP surgery before taking action.

We understand how frustrating it can be to be waiting for treatment, or that you may be considering some treatment that isn’t routinely funded by the NHS. There are lots of different places that you can get treatment that you pay for yourself, both within the private sector in the UK and in other countries.

Factors we would urge you to consider

It is really important to make sure that the provider is fully qualified, safe, and will provide you with an acceptable standard of care.

Whilst most private providers are fully regulated and registered just like the NHS is, this is not always the case. It is particularly important that if you are seeking treatment in another country, you make sure that the provider can look after you properly. This includes doing all the right health checks, pre-operative support, and follow up after your treatment if needed.

If the treatment would not normally be paid for routinely by the NHS, then you would be responsible for all the costs associated with your treatment

Not all treatments are paid for by the NHS, and some treatments are only paid for in particular circumstances. If your treatment would not normally be paid for by the NHS, you would need to be prepared to pay for all the costs, including any follow up and management of potential complications. You should discuss this with the provider as they may include this within a pre-paid package of care.

You may need to travel back to the provider for follow up.

This is particularly important to consider if you travel overseas for treatment. Some treatments (such as obesity surgery) can involve quite a lot of appointments both before surgery, and several years of specialist follow up.

You cannot assume that your GP will be able to provide you the follow up care after treatment.

Your GP is only able to provide standard NHS treatment for you and is not able to replace specialist follow up after treatment. This is particularly important to be aware of if you have surgery overseas as the provider may not understand this as their healthcare systems are different.

Learn more about NHS post-operative support for self-funded bariatric surgery.

Help to ‘wait well’

The Suffolk and North East Essex Wellbeing Support Services website has lots of information for people waiting for surgery or treatment. You will find information about local organisations who can help support you with both medical and non-medical needs as well as advice on managing long term conditions.

Learn how to stay well for surgery or treatment

NHS post-operative support for self-funded bariatric surgery

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB have received several enquiries from General Practice regarding access to NHS post-operative support for self-funded patients who have travelled abroad for bariatric surgery.

Patients do not have the automatic right to re-enter NHS care (from private care) at any time during an episode of care in this situation. Although NICE recommends specialist MDT follow up for two years following bariatric surgery this will not be routinely provided on the NHS for those patients who have self-funded their surgery abroad and responsibility remains with the bariatric centre who performed the surgery.

If you are considering seeking private treatment of any kind, you should always discuss this with your GP surgery before taking action.

Additional Factors to Consider

For more information on other factors and guidance to consider when pursuing private referrals and care, please see the page below:

• Should I go Private? Factors to consider

In summary

• GP surgeries cannot be expected to provide specialist aftercare following treatment sought overseas or in the private sector
• The patient has a responsibility to ensure that they have understood the implications of sourcing treatment in the private sector or overseas (including assurance of the arrangements for their aftercare) before undergoing treatment.
• Specialist obesity services are not routinely commissioned.
• Patients are only likely to be eligible for the route outlined in “4” if they had been at the point of already being on an NHS waiting list for Obesity Surgery (having completed the other steps) at the time of private treatment.
• Patients would only be eligible for the route outlined in “5” if their clinical circumstances are exceptional, which is unlikely in the majority of circumstances.

The ICB does not maintain a list of approved private providers, but if a GP would like advice or support regarding the signposting of patients to a suitable UK private provider they would be welcome to contact the Alliance primary care team

Self-referrals and Wellbeing Services

Most referrals to other specialists will require you seeing or speaking with a GP. However, there are a number of local services, listed on the page below, that you are able to make self referrals to.

• Specialist Self Referrals and Wellbeing Services