Community pharmacies already offer services that meet people's urgent care needs. Such as:

• Delivering minor ailments services (providing OTC medicines at NHS expense)
• Supplying emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), whether sold over the counter or supplied at NHS or local authority expense under a patient group direction
• Supporting good self-management and medicines optimisation for people with long-term conditions
• Providing emergency supplies of repeat medicines.

These services all help to relieve pressure on other healthcare providers, including GPs, out-of-hours providers, walk-in centres and emergency departments, as well as potentially reducing emergency admissions to hospital in some cases. There is also an expansion of the role of pharmacists working in general practice and pilots are underway in many areas using pharmacists to answer medicines-related queries in NHS 111 call centres, GP out-of-hours services and urgent care centres. New roles are also developing for pharmacists working in emergency departments.

Despite the varied roles of pharmacy staff in urgent care, many customers, patients and carers may not see community pharmacy as a provider of urgent care advice. It is therefore important to think about how you and your colleagues can promote and deliver quality services that improve patient experience and outcomes within urgent care pathways.