Guidance for Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Service (PIPS): Common Ailments and Contraception
The following guidance has been produced in collaboration with the Community Pharmacy Clinical Advisory Group
The Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Service (PIPS) enables patients to see a pharmacist independent prescriber who will assess their condition within a community pharmacy in a private consultation room, and prescribe the necessary medication, without the need to have an appointment with their GP.
This page is to support pharmacists who provide PIPS and is not aimed at members of the public.
Members of the public who are trying to access PIPS can find details of pharmacies that offer this service on the NHS 111 Wales website, and selecting ‘Independent Prescribing for Common Ailments and Contraception’ from the filter column.
On this page
1. What conditions are covered by PIPS?
2. What conditions / products should not routinely be treated / prescribed under PIPS?
3. Useful resources for Pharmacist Independent Prescribers
4. How to report a notifiable disease
The following information is for healthcare professionals.
What conditions are covered by PIPS?
The service specification allows for prescribing within the following areas, subject to declaration of competence in each area by the prescribing pharmacist:
- Ear: otitis externa; superficial infections of the external auditory canal; impacted or excessive cerumen; otitis media
- Urinary tract: lower urinary tract infection; upper urinary tract infection (pyelonephritis)
- Contraception: emergency contraception; UKMEC 1; UKMEC 2
- Upper respiratory tract: sinusitis; allergic rhinitis; sore throat; tonsillitis; oral thrush; other acute respiratory tract conditions
- Skin: fungal and candida infections (excluding fungal nail infections); acne & rosacea (topical treatments only); inflammatory skin disorders and psoriasis (topical treatments only); dry skin; herpes zoster; skin infections (e.g. impetigo, cellulitis) & paronychia; skin reactions (urticaria, hives, bites/stings, etc)
- Other: viral infection; pyrexia; bacterial conjunctivitis; gout exacerbation; constipation; migraine; other conditions covered by the All Wales Common Ailments Formulary where CAS supply is inappropriate
What conditions are considered not appropriate for routine management under PIPS?
The Community Pharmacy Clinical Advisory Group have considered the following conditions and found them to be inappropriate for treatment under PIPS.
- Wound care (acute or chronic): where wounds need dressing, the patient should be referred to a minor injuries unit, or advised to purchase suitable products
- Wound care following surgery: due to risk of infection with higher risk organisms, the difficulty in determining how deep the infection could be, and the risk of developing sepsis, these wounds are considered outside of the scope of PIPS
- Animal or human bites: this is due to factors including increased risk of infection. The effective management of animal or human bites can require thorough wound irrigation, appropriate wound assessment, microbiological sampling of infected wounds to guide treatment (especially if prophylactic treatment has failed) and post-exposure immunisation (e.g. tetanus, BBV etc). As a result, the management of animal or human bites is considered to be outside the scope of the PIPS service. Please refer to All Wales guidance and NICE guidance as well as local guidelines for further information
- Smoking cessation: patients should be supported via the HMQ @ Pharmacy service
- Pain not directly associated with a condition listed in the scope above. Other sources of pain are beyond the scope of this service
- Period delay: this does not fall under the acute conditions or contraception definitions of this service
- Any chronic disease management (excluding exacerbation of respiratory conditions or gout): it is inappropriate to treat chronic conditions without appropriate patient monitoring
- Chickenpox during pregnancy and post-exposure prophylaxis during pregnancy: urgent specialist advice and clinical assessment, possibly including laboratory testing is required. Individuals should be urgently referred to their midwife, GP or NHS 111 Wales. Further information
- Fungal nail infection: nail clippings need to be sent off and this is not possible in a community pharmacy setting at present
- Most appliances: only those appliances suitable for the management of acute conditions and listed within the relevant health board formulary should be prescribed e.g. ear drops, eye drops, emollient preparations
- Emergency supplies: where supplies are needed, these must be made under the Emergency Medicines Service
Useful resources for Pharmacist Independent Prescribers
Pharmacists may find the resources listed on the WMAS useful information sources page helpful when providing PIPS.
Some subscription resources require you to log in with your NHS Wales email address and password or an NHS Wales OpenAthens account, or, if you are on an NHS Wales site, access instantly through the NHS Wales network. Quick links to these resources can be found via the e-Library for Health.
How to report a notifiable disease
Pharmacists should be aware of what conditions are considered to be notifiable diseases and how to report them. The schedule of notifiable diseases and syndromes is detailed in the Health Protection (Notification) (Wales) Regulations 2010, and can be accessed via WSI 2010/1546 (W.144).
Contact details for the Health Protection Team and the All Wales Acute Response Service (AWARe) can be found on the Public Health Wales website.
10 Jul 25
Published.
