Collaborative working with Pfizer

Collaborative working project to increase access to care through community pharmacy

Collaborative Working Project between The Company Chemist Association (CCA), The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Gen X Media (Trading as Pharmacy in Practice) and Pfizer Limited.

Background

Following the Launch of Pharmacy First in England last year and aligning with similar projects in the devolved Nations the 2024 collaborative project between Pfizer Ltd, The National Pharmacy Association and Gen X Media (trading as Pharmacy in Practice), focused on developing a range of training and educational materials about the provision of treatments and vaccination services to patients, to optimise best practice within community pharmacy and bring benefits to patients and pharmacy consumers, in accordance with national guidelines.

The 2025 collaboration will see the National Pharmacy Association, Gen X Media (trading as Pharmacy in Practice) come together with The Company Chemists’ Association Ltd to expand the scope across the UK community pharmacy network, identifying innovative solutions to ease NHS pressures and building on the significant outcomes achieved from the 2024 project.

About the project

The focus in 2025 will be on urgent and alternative access to medicines, vaccines, and care, aligning with NHS priorities such as the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. The goal is to reduce the strain on general practice and secondary care by offering additional patient options within the community pharmacy setting and outside traditional GP hours. This will all run alongside supporting the outputs of the 2024 project through all partners and reporting on their uptake and success.

The objective is to reduce the burden on general practice and secondary care by offering more patient options within community pharmacies beyond traditional GP hours. The group will explore practical steps for change, identify barriers and enablers, and highlight benefits for patients and the UK health and care services. The groundwork laid in 2024 will guide our efforts to implement and test new ideas.

Migraine Management in Community Pharmacy

Background

The project was developed following discussions between Pfizer and the Company Chemists’ Association regarding the potential for joint advocacy on migraine and the potential role of community pharmacy in the management of migraine. This approach aligns with current UK Government policy regarding the movement of more care into the community and to support policy that helps productivity and growth goals. Improving management of migraine in the community has the potential to advance these goals.

Project

The programme of work will seek to advocate for better management of migraine through community pharmacy. This comprehensive programme will develop practical solutions to improve patient care, secure consensus across key policymakers and stakeholders, and advocate for change.

The objectives are to:

1. Develop robust recommendations for policy changes that will increase access to appropriate migraine treatments through community pharmacy.
2. Secure consensus from key stakeholders at both a national and local level.
3. Advocate for change, identifying potential champions across both the political and public spheres.

Benefits 

Benefits to patients
Greater awareness among policy makers of the need to prioritise migraine treatment and management, and the benefits of doing this in the community via community pharmacy.

Benefits to the NHS/UK Government
Better management of migraine in community pharmacy (and the ability of pharmacists to manage more cases) will support NHS drives to reduce costs and waiting times in secondary care, and to help free up capacity in general practice. The approach supports the UK Government’s desired ‘shift to the left’ to enable more care to be provided in community settings.

Benefits to the Company Chemists’ Association
Increased options for the management of migraine in community pharmacy will benefit the Company Chemists’ Association members, who will benefit from an increase in services available to provide to eligible patients.

Benefits to Pfizer
Greater awareness of the important role of community pharmacy in the long-term management of migraine supports Pfizer’s business objectives around migraine management in the community and supporting a robust migraine treatment environment..

Potential Outcomes

This programme of work will:

• Position migraine as a natural expansion route for Pharmacy First care across England.
• Identify potential challenges and consider practical routes to mitigate these, developing robust proposals to secure policy change to support the future role of community pharmacy in migraine management.
• Work to secure consensus across key health and political stakeholders to create momentum for change.