About Extended Care Services

About Extended Care Services

In principle Extended Care (Services) could be considered as an extension of the Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS). It allows accredited Extended Care Pharmacists to extend the range of conditions and symptoms they can treat – including using prescription medicines from the dispensary. Patients are permitted to self-refer to the pharmacist whilst surgery reception teams can also refer patients to the pharmacy, effectively diverting them from the practice.

Extended Care Services are commissioned quite separately from the CPCS service because of the necessary additional accreditations that Extended Care Pharmacists (ECPs) must achieve before they can be authorised to supply medicines which otherwise would need a doctor’s diagnosis and a doctor’s prescription.

 Why are these Extended Care Services necessary?

It is unfortunately the case that there are not enough GP appointments available to meet the needs of patients.  Meanwhile the NHS has recognised that there are many less serious conditions, such as simple urinary tract infections and conjunctivitis, which an ECP can capably diagnose and treat.

 The NHS has been piloting this Extended Care service for over two years, saving several thousands of GP appointments which is allowing doctors to focus on more serious diseases and conditions.