10,000 Pharmacies On Track For Pharmacy First Launch

Pharmacists across the county will now be able to provide prescription-only medicines for a number of illnesses.

Thousands of community pharmacies across the UK have signed up to the Pharmacy First scheme which will enable pharmacists to supply prescription-only medicines to treat seven common conditions without needing to see a GP.

The seven common health conditions, which will now be supported by trained pharmacy teams and part of the Pharmacy First offer include sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

The aim of this scheme is to reduce the burden on GPs and increase patient access to primary care in the short term. Long-term there is a real opportunity to shift perceptions of primary care.

The hope is that by the end of the decade, pharmacies might no longer be the dispensing destinations they are today. Instead, they could become hubs for patient service, unleashing the full potential of pharmacists in primary care.