Practices throughout England will be able to refer patients for same day appointments with community pharmacists from this month, it has been announced.

The scheme will build on the development of telephone triage at practices, enabling practices to send patients straight to a pharmacy for minor illnesses. At the pharmacy they will discuss their problem with a trained pharmacist.

The referrals are made digitally and the patient is then called by a pharmacist to fix a time for the appointment. More than a thousand pharmacists are currently undergoing training to take part in the scheme in a joint programme organised by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal College of GPs.

Robbie Turner, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “This new referral route will further embed pharmacists into urgent care pathways and help improve the care of patients presenting with minor illnesses. It also provides the basis for further collaboration with local GPs. The pilots for the pathway proved to be safe, effective and popular with patients, who liked the scheme’s quick access to a pharmacist who could provide expert advice. We are proud to be part of the preferred training partnership programme, which enables pharmacists to develop their clinical knowledge and build confidence in working with GPs and other health professionals.”