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The Community Pharmacy Walk-In Consultation Service (WICS), offering treatment for various minor ailments, recorded 19,567 consultations in 2024. This marks a 61 per cent increase compared to the 12,138 consultations recorded in 2023, according to data released by Community Pharmacy Cornwall (CPC) and obtained by The Pharmaceutical Journal. Launched in community pharmacies across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in January 2021, the minor ailment scheme is commissioned by the NHS and CPC. It enables locally accredited community pharmacists to supply prescription-only-medicines (POMs) for the treatment of several common conditions utilising patient group directions (PGDs) that Pharmacy First does not currently cover. These include vaginal candidiasis (vaginal thrush), dermatitis, migraine, conjunctivitis, and emergency hormonal contraception. Since its launch, the service has facilitated over 38,000 consultations, with 80 per cent of them resulting in advice or treatment that concluded the consultation in the pharmacy. WICS data also indicates that the service has helped avoid an estimated 30,000 GP appointments and more than 500 inappropriate A&E visits since its inception.

To maximise the benefits of the Pharmacy First service for patients, the NHS, and community pharmacies, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has advised the community pharmacists to to establish a robust relationship between community pharmacies and local general practices. The news comes after several reports highlighted issues regarding GP referrals for the seven minor ailment conditions under the Pharmacy First services. According to the reports, many pharmacists claimed that "many GPs in England are not sending patients to them to be treated - and that some are refusing to participate at all in the "groundbreaking" Pharmacy First scheme". In response to foster better relationship with the GPs, CPE has said that strong local collaborations will enable general practice teams to confidently refer patients to the Pharmacy First and other community pharmacy services where appropriate. Moreover, the organisation emphasised implementation of long-term changes in practice will take time. The current focus on integrating GP referrals to Pharmacy First will likely require sustained effort over several months or longer.