Plymouth patients can now be treated for seven common conditions at pharmacies

Pharmacies can now help for the simplest of problems

Plymouth patients are now able to get prescription-only treatment for seven common conditions at their local community pharmacy, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. The launch of the new Pharmacy First service will offer patients more choice in how and where they access care by making even better use of highly trained community pharmacists.

For the first time ever, community pharmacies in England will be able to offer NHS consultations and supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription from a GP for seven common conditions. These conditions are sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.

For these conditions, patients will be able to have a consultation with their pharmacist to discuss their symptoms. The pharmacist will then recommend the most clinically appropriate course of action abiding by strict protocols. This may include a treatment bought over the counter such as a cream or ointment, advice for self-care or supplying a prescription only medicine, such as an antibiotic or antiviral.

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Welcoming the news, Johnny Mercer, Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, said: “I have been working hard to help ease the strain of capacity issues at Derriford Hospital. I welcome the Government’s announcement that patients can now go directly to their local pharmacist to receive prescriptions for seven common ailments – sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and urinary tract infections. Finding such efficiencies will help patients receive treatment more quickly and reduce NHS waiting times.”

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins, said: “I’m determined to deliver faster, simpler, fairer access to care for patients, and the expansion of Pharmacy First will mean patients can get treatment for common conditions without needing to see their GP first.

“This is good news for patients and good news for the NHS. It will free up millions of GP appointments per year and mean that patients can get quick and effective treatment from their local pharmacy.

“As four in five people live within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy, for many seeing their local pharmacist will be the easiest option – so this initiative will have real benefits for patients and help cut NHS waiting lists.”

Across England, 95 per cent of pharmacies will be offering the expanded services, helping to delivering on our vision to support community pharmacists to evolve further into a more clinically focused role, with members of the public able to take full advantage of their skills and capabilities.

Pharmacy First will be integrated into the NHS website, so when people look for certain symptoms that cover Pharmacy First they will be signposted to a pharmacy.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “GPs are already treating millions more people every month than before the pandemic, but with an ageing population and growing demand, we know the NHS needs to give people more choice and make accessing care as easy as possible.

“People across England rightly value the support they receive from their high street pharmacist, and with eight in ten living within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy and twice as many pharmacies in areas of deprivation, they are the perfect spot to offer people convenient care for common conditions.

“This is great news for patients – from today you can pop into one of more than 10,000 high street pharmacies in England to get a consultation on seven common conditions including ear-ache, a sore throat or sinusitis at a convenient time, with many pharmacies open late into the evening.

“This is all part of a major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care, with the health service determined to giving people more choice in how they can access treatment.”

It comes as a new Boots pharmacy is set to open at Derriford Hospital this spring. The bigger, modern, and welcoming new outpatient pharmacy will double in size – and will also open on Saturdays, offering a convenient and modern service to patients.

As a result of the new partnership, patients will now have the option to collect medicines from their local pharmacy through the Boots network in Plymouth and the surrounding areas. It follows University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust having recently apologised for the “poor service” patients have experienced at the existing Derriford Hospital pharmacy resulting in long waiting times for medication.

And the news comes in the week where Derriford Hospital chiefs have declared yet another ‘critical incident’ just a week after announcing the end of more than a weeks’ run of critical incident announcements. The hospital said: “We have declared a critical incident as the site is very busy following ten days of very high attendances to our Emergency Department. We have seen some very unwell patients and an increase in the number of people presenting with flu. This has stretched our capacity, particularly overnight.