Enhanced Access services are changing how people receive care in general practice. For patients, this shift presents real opportunities to get healthcare when it fits around life’s demands. It is not just about longer opening hours – it is a chance to connect with the right healthcare professional at the right time and improve health outcomes.
Understanding Enhanced Access
Enhanced Access forms part of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES). It requires every Primary Care Network (PCN) to offer appointments outside core hours: weekday evenings (6.30pm-8pm) and Saturdays (9am-5pm). These appointments can be in person, by phone or online, and must involve a range of professionals, not just GPs.
The aim is to offer people more choice and ease of access. It is also about using the wider primary care team more effectively. For patients, that means seeing pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals who can often help just as well as a GP.
Why Enhanced Access Matters to Patients
Community pharmacies already provide clinical care that many people do not realise exists – hypertension checks, contraception services and consultations for minor illnesses. Enhanced Access strengthens pharmacy’s role in primary care, which means better coordination of care and less pressure on already stretched GP practices.
If you live in a busy area where getting a GP appointment feels impossible, working with your local pharmacy through Enhanced Access can make a real difference to accessing timely care.
How Patients Can Get More from Pharmacy-Led Enhanced Access
Pharmacy involvement in Enhanced Access should not be limited to quick consultations. Instead, it opens up access to services like:
- Medicines reviews that actually make sense of what you are taking and why
- Health checks and monitoring that catch problems early
- Support for long-term conditions when the GP surgery is closed
- Contraception follow-ups, screening and practical health advice
Working with your PCN means these services are coordinated with your wider healthcare, not isolated from it.
Quality and Safety Standards
Pharmacists delivering Enhanced Access services must meet the same clinical governance standards as those in general practice: access to patient records, suitable indemnity and proper supervision from clinical teams.
To take part properly, pharmacy teams need to:
- Have the right training and clinical supervision in place
- Access secure IT systems and patient records safely
- Use appropriate spaces for consultations, whether at the pharmacy or GP surgery
These standards are not optional – they are what makes Enhanced Access safe and effective for patients.
Getting Access Through Your Local Network
Strong relationships between pharmacies and PCNs matter because that is how patients get the best care. Funding flows through PCNs, but the actual services happen across the local health system. Patients benefit when their pharmacy reaches out to PCN managers and proposes practical solutions.
Think about what this could mean for you:
- Could your local pharmacy offer blood pressure checks or help with minor illness during evening or Saturday slots?
- Could your pharmacist review your medications or give lifestyle advice alongside your diabetes or heart clinic appointments?
Enhanced Access Rules That Protect Patients
NHS England’s guidance for 2025/26 includes important details that affect what patients can expect:
- Appointments must be offered during 6.30–8pm weekdays and 9am–5pm Saturdays
- A mix of face-to-face and remote appointments is required
- Enhanced Access must include multiple professional roles; pharmacy staff may be part of this team
- Appointments must meet the requirement of at least 60 minutes per 1,000 adjusted registered patients each week
- Cancellations must be made up within two weeks
- Appointment availability details must be clearly communicated to the population
These rules reinforce that Enhanced Access is a structured, multi-professional service rather than just extended opening hours.
Looking Ahead
The current Network DES is due to end in March 2025, and NHS England has not yet confirmed what comes next. However:
- Enhanced Access is embedded in the 2025/26 DES and is expected to remain a priority
- It forms part of the move toward team-based, digitally enabled primary care
- Patients whose local pharmacies get involved now will be better served by future arrangements
How This Changes Healthcare for Patients
Enhanced Access is not a short-term fix – it reflects how primary care is evolving toward more inclusive, flexible and team-based approaches. As pharmacy becomes more integral to local healthcare, patients can expect:
- Better access to the right professional for their specific health needs
- Services that work around work and family commitments
- Stronger connections between community pharmacy and GP practices
- Healthcare that feels more coordinated and less fragmented
These changes are building more resilient, responsive primary care that puts patients first and makes the most of every healthcare professional’s skills.
