In May 2023, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care announced a Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care. Part of the plan includes enabling patients to get certain prescription medications directly from a pharmacy, without a GP appointment. This new service is expected to free up GP appointments for patients who need them most and will give people quicker and more convenient access to safe and high quality healthcare. It includes the supply of appropriate medicines for 7 common conditions including earache, sore throat, and urinary tract infections, aiming to address health issues before they get worse.

Currently, NHS patients in England must visit their GP to access prescription only medication, meaning repeated GP visits and delays in treatment. Community pharmacies offer a more convenient way to access healthcare that includes support with healthy eating, exercise, stopping smoking, monitoring your blood pressure, contraception, flu and covid vaccinations.

The public perceptions of community pharmacy survey found that over 90% of patients who sought guidance from a community pharmacy within the past year reported receiving good advice.

The government and NHS England are committed to ensuring patients receive the right treatment at the right time. The NHS Long Term Plan highlights the need to make greater use of community pharmacists’ skills and opportunities to engage patients. This is why we have launched a new Pharmacy First service.