Think Pharmacy First

Advice and Treatment

Pharmacists can give you advice on a range of conditions and suggest medicines that can help.  

They may also be able to offer treatment and some prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP (this is called Pharmacy First). Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy First are: 

• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• impetigo (aged 1 year and over)- a contagious skin infection
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)- infection that causes a painful rash
• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)- infection of the sinuses (behind the forehead, cheeks and nose)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• urinary tract infections or UTIs (women aged 16 to 64 years)

If you have one of these conditions, you can walk into your local pharmacy or: 

SELF-REFER ONLINE

The pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or refer you to a GP or another healthcare professional if needed. Pharmacies will update your GP health record. If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.

Please note on weekends online self-referral may take longer as the practice is closed and will not look at your assessment until we are open, for a quicker response please walk into your local pharmacy. 

Find Your Local Pharmacy

Emergency Prescriptions – NHS 111

Use this service to request a limited emergency supply of a medicine you’ve completely run out of.

This must be a medicine you are prescribed regularly, through a repeat prescription.

You will be charged your usual prescription fee. If you do not usually pay, it will be free.

When not to use this service

If you need medicine and also have any symptoms, call 111 and speak to an adviser instead.

You cannot use this service to get:

• antibiotics for a new or recent problem
• controlled drugs that require identification to collect

Request an Emergency Prescription

Getting the Contraceptive Pill without a Prescription

You may be able to get the contraceptive pill from a pharmacy if you need to: 

• start the contraceptive pill for the first time
• take the contraceptive pill again after a break from using it

If you already have a prescription for the contraceptive pill, you can use the prescription as usual. Or you can get the pill from a pharmacy without a prescription if you prefer. 

Find a pharmacy that offers the contraceptive pill without a prescription

Get a Free Blood Pressure Check

You can get a free blood pressure checked at a pharmacy without seeing a GP, if you: 

• are aged 40 or over
• live in England

You cannot get a free blood pressure check if you: 

• already have high blood pressure
• have had your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional in the past 6 months

Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks