Over 10,000 NHS pharmacies start treating for common conditions
10,265 community pharmacies in England (more than nine in ten) will be offering the ground-breaking initiative, with the health service making it easier and more convenient for people to access care.
Highly trained pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for:
- Sinusitis
- sore throat
- earache
- infected insect bite
- impetigo
- shingles
- Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women (under the age of 65)
This will be without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.
The Pharmacy First service – backed by £645 million – has real benefits for patients and for the NHS. As four in five people live within 20 minutes’ walk of a pharmacy, patients will be given more choice in where and how they access care, aiming to free up 10 million GP appointments a year.
“Patients will welcome the extension of pharmacy services to include common conditions. It will offer them greater flexibility and provide a safe alternative to seeing a GP, which we know remains a real challenge for many people across England.
It will, however, take time for pharmacists to get trained and ready for change. Patients and GP services need up to date information on which of their local pharmacies are offering direct supply of medicines for one, some, or all seven of the new conditions."
It builds on the expansion of the contraceptive pill service in December 2023, with more than 5,000 pharmacies now registered to allow women the chance to get a supply of oral contraception over the counter from their pharmacy without needing to see their GP first.
In future, the NHS is expecting almost half a million women a year to receive their contraception from their high street pharmacist.
