Pharmacy First

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 prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP. This service is known as Pharmacy First. Conditions that can be treated are:

• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• impetigo (skin infection) (aged 1 year and over)
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• urinary tract infections (women aged 16 to 64 years)

If you go to a pharmacy with one of these conditions, the pharmacist will:

• offer you advice or treatment, or
• refer you to a GP or other healthcare professional if needed.

They will then 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.

Read more about how pharmacies can help on the NHS website.