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Clinical consultations from registered pharmacists
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A private space to discuss your symptoms
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Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)

If your GP practice or NHS 111 has pointed you our way, it’s because your pharmacist can often deal with what you need faster than a GP appointment or A&E visit. The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, CPCS, connects you with us directly for minor illnesses and urgent medicine needs. Get in touch if you’ve been referred and aren’t sure what happens next.

How You End Up Being Referred

You don’t refer yourself into CPCS, it comes through your GP practice or after calling NHS 111. If either service decides your issue is better suited to a pharmacist consultation, they’ll pass your details to us and you’ll usually be contacted the same day.

What Kind of Things CPCS Covers

This service exists for two broad situations, minor illnesses that don’t need a GP’s time, think coughs, colds, mild skin conditions, or minor aches, and urgent medicine supply, where you’ve run out of an essential regular medicine unexpectedly and need it sorted quickly rather than waiting days for a repeat prescription.

What Happens Once We’re in Touch

We’ll call or see you to talk through your symptoms or medicine situation, ask a few clinical questions, and either resolve it there and then, provide advice, or, if it turns out to need more than a pharmacist can offer, refer you onward appropriately rather than leaving you stuck.

Why This Route Is Often Quicker

Pharmacists are trained to assess and manage a wide range of minor conditions, which means many issues that would otherwise sit in a GP’s queue for days can be sorted within hours through CPCS. It also frees up GP appointments for people who genuinely need a doctor.

If You’re Not Sure You’ve Been Referred

Sometimes people aren’t told clearly that they’ve been passed to CPCS. If you’ve had a call from us out of the blue about a recent GP contact or 111 call, that’s what’s happening, and it’s worth picking up rather than assuming it’s unrelated.

Questions Before Your Consultation

If you’d like to know what to expect before we speak, or think there’s been a mix-up with your referral, contact us and we’ll sort it out.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)? ▾
It’s an NHS service that lets your GP practice or NHS 111 refer you directly to a pharmacist for minor illnesses or urgent medicine supply issues, instead of booking you into an already stretched GP appointment.
How do I get referred to the CPCS? ▾
Referrals come through your GP surgery or by calling NHS 111 and explaining your symptoms. You can’t refer yourself directly, the referring service decides whether CPCS is the right fit for your situation.
What conditions can CPCS help with? ▾
Typically minor illnesses such as coughs, colds, mild infections, and minor skin complaints, alongside urgent supply of medicines you’ve unexpectedly run out of. More serious or complex issues are referred onward.
Is the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service free? ▾
Yes, there’s no charge for a CPCS consultation. If you have questions about a referral you’ve received, contact us directly.
Can I refer myself to CPCS or do I need a referral? ▾
You need a referral from your GP practice or NHS 111, you can’t book a CPCS consultation directly yourself. If you’d like general pharmacy advice without a referral, our standard consultation services can help instead.
Contact Us

Please get in touch if you have any questions at all.

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