CPCS – Resources for pharmacy teams
CPCS – Resources for pharmacy teams
This page contains links to a range of support materials to support contractors and their teams with the provision of the CPCS.
Resources within the service specification and toolkit
The CPCS service specification contains three forms within its annexes; standalone versions of these forms can be downloaded via the links below:
Annex A – Notification of an emergency supply to patient’s general practice (PDF)
Annex A – Notification of an emergency supply to patient’s general practice (Microsoft Word)
Annex B – Notification of low acuity/minor illness consultation to patient’s general practice (PDF)
Annex C – Key contact details form (PDF)
Annex C – Key contact details form (Microsoft Word)
Standalone versions of some of the resources in the CPCS toolkit for pharmacy staff are available via the links below:
Standalone version of CPCS Implementation Checklist (Appendix B) (Microsoft Word)
Standalone version of CPCS Implementation Checklist (Appendix B) (PDF)
Standalone version of the CPCS One-pager summary (Appendix A) (Microsoft Word)
Template Standard Operating Procedure
Pharmacy contractors providing the CPCS must have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in place for the service. A template SOP has been written by members of the Urgent Care Delivery and Implementation Group. Contractors can amend and adopt this SOP for use in their pharmacy if they wish.
Template Standard Operating Procedure (version 2 31/12/20) (Microsoft Word)
In addition, below is a template that can be used with the above to provide a summary of which local General Practices are referring to the CPCS and which other local pharmacies are providing the CPCS, along with their contact details:
GP referrals to CPCS – Summary details for local PCN area (Word)
GP referrals to CPCS – Summary details for local PCN area (PDF)
Free CPCS training for pharmacists
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal College of General Practitioners are providing free CPCS workshops for pharmacists.
The workshops, funded by NHS England and NHS Improvement, via Health Education England, will help pharmacists to build their confidence and practice the skills they need to help people when providing the CPCS.
Participants will learn and practise new skills during the session, gaining confidence in performing clinical examinations and identifying red flags in consultations. They will get instant feedback from GPs and other professionals and the training will also help pharmacists to learn how to involve patients during decision-making.
To find out more and book your free place visit the Royal Pharmaceutical Society website.
Other learning and development resources
The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) has a range of training resources which can be used by pharmacists to prepare to provide the CPCS, including a self-assessment framework which helps you to identify gaps in your knowledge. It is recommended that pharmacists use this framework to plan their learning ahead of providing the service.
Further information is available on the CPPE website.
CPCS webinar and NHS 111 animation
In mid-September 2019, PSNC and NHSE&I held a joint webinar for pharmacy teams and others interested in learning more about the service and how to implement it; nearly 500 people tuned in on the night and 98% of people responding to the feedback survey found it useful.
If you missed the webinar, you can watch the on-demand version.
NHSE&I’s national Directory of Services team have created the following short animation on the CPCS. It has been developed as part of the training for NHS 111 call advisers, but it is also an excellent way to introduce pharmacy team members to the service.
Information for patients
The service specification requires that the CPCS is not actively promoted to patients by contractors or the NHS. However, the use of community pharmacy as the first port of call for advice on the management of minor illness will continue to be promoted by the NHS Help Us Help You Pharmacy Advice campaign.
During consultations for minor illness, pharmacists may provide the patient with printed information about their condition or recommended treatment or direct them to a website containing this information. The NHS website (NHS.UK) provides high quality information on a wide range of conditions and commonly used medicines:
