Pharmacy First, Future Ready. Unlocking the full potential of community pharmacies

The NHS Pharmacy First service, launched in January 2024, represents one of the biggest shifts in primary care for decades. For the first time, community pharmacies can complete episodes of care for seven common conditions, including sore throat, shingles, uncomplicated UTIs and sinusitis - without the need for a GP referral.

Pharmacies can also provide urgent supplies of repeat medicines and continue to receive referrals from GPs, urgent care and NHS 111. Add in vaccinations for flu and COVID, blood pressure checks and smoking cessation services, and pharmacies are rapidly becoming true frontline health hubs in every community.

This expansion is a chance to improve access to care, reduce GP waiting times, and create new income opportunities for pharmacies. Patients benefit from faster treatment in convenient local settings, while the NHS makes better use of its clinical workforce.

But realising this potential isn’t straightforward. Many pharmacies are being asked to deliver more clinically - while still relying on systems designed primarily for dispensing. To make Pharmacy First work, and to build a sustainable future, operators need to modernise their digital and operational foundations.

Why Pharmacy First matters – and what’s standing in the way

The benefits are clear:

Patients get quicker access to care in their community.
GPs see reduced demand for minor conditions, freeing up time for complex cases.
Pharmacies can diversify income beyond low-margin NHS dispensing.

However, three barriers still hold many operators back:

Dependence on dispensing revenue – for many, 80–85% of turnover still comes from NHS prescriptions, limiting room for growth.
Fragmented, outdated systems – manual processes and disconnected tools slow down clinical service delivery.
Connectivity and compliance challenges – secure NHS data-sharing and connectivity are essential but complex to set up and maintain.

In short: pharmacies are ready to expand their role - but often lack the software and infrastructure to do so at scale.

What pharmacies actually need

To succeed under Pharmacy First, community pharmacies need three practical foundations:

Streamlined workflows – reducing manual tasks so staff can focus on patients, not paperwork.
Secure NHS connectivity – so clinical services can be delivered seamlessly and compliantly.
Unified digital tools – consolidated, harmonious systems to manage bookings, patient records, prescriptions and payments.

With these in place, pharmacies can reduce risk, unlock new revenue streams, and deliver higher-quality care.

Pharmacy First, future-ready

This is where Apotec and Cloud Gateway come in. Together, they provide an end-to-end solution that helps pharmacies go beyond dispensing with confidence:

Streamlined operations – prescriptions, claims, compliance and payments managed in one platform.
Lower admin burden – automated workflows reduce paperwork and free time for care.
New revenue streams – built-in support for private services such as travel clinics, vaccinations and consultations.
Secure NHS connectivity – Cloud Gateway delivers HSCN-grade links and NHS-accredited infrastructure.
Scalability – once systems are unified and connected, adding services becomes simple.

The result? Pharmacies that are clinically capable, digitally enabled, and commercially sustainable.

Build a solution that will provide the foundations for your service agenda

To ensure excellence in patient care and business performance, it is essential to have a patient-centric PMR/CRM system that provides a single, comprehensive view of all information held about each patient. This system should be fully aligned with the latest FHIR standards, enabling seamless and swift integration with other healthcare systems.

The solution must also prioritise the security of data and information transfer, achieved through the use of a CN-SP provisioned HSCN connection, ensuring compliance and safeguarding sensitive patient data.

In addition, the CRM should be leveraged as a strategic tool: not only to understand and engage with key markets at scale, but also to generate meaningful insights at an individual store level, enabling more effective, face-to-face patient interactions.

Final thought: why now matters

Community pharmacies are essential to the success of Pharmacy First. But for the model to thrive, operators need the right digital foundations.

By combining Apotec’s advanced pharmacy CRM with Cloud Gateway’s secure NHS connectivity, pharmacies can diversify revenue, strengthen compliance, and provide faster, more convenient care for patients.

If you’re considering how to take your pharmacy beyond dispensing, Apotec and Cloud Gateway are ready to help, so you can spend less time on paperwork, and more time with patients.