Patients in England can get treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP, thanks to a shake-up in pharmacy services.
From Wednesday, thousands of pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under the age of 65, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.
NHS England said more than nine in 10 community pharmacies in England – 10,265 in total – will offer the checks under the Pharmacy First programme.
The measure is intended to give people more places where they can get the care they need, freeing up 10 million GP appointments every year.
Pharmacies will each receive an initial flat fee of £2,000 for offering the scheme, plus £15 for each consultation and a monthly flat fee of £1,000 if they do a minimum number of consultations.
Amanda Pritchard, the CEO of NHS England, said: “GPs are already treating millions more people every month than before the pandemic, but with an aging population and growing demand we know the NHS needs to give people more choice and access to care improve. as easy as possible.
“People across England rightly value the support they receive from their pharmacist, and with eight in ten people living within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy and twice as many pharmacies in deprived areas, they are the perfect place to give people easy access provide care for common conditions.”
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Community pharmacies are already doing great work in treating minor conditions and with the Pharmacy First service – backed by £645 million – we are committed to going further and unlocking their full potential to provide routine care to provide.
“Patients needing treatment or prescription medication for common conditions such as earache can now get them directly from the pharmacy, without a GP appointment.
“This is about ensuring people get the treatment they need closer to home, while it is vital to deliver on our plan to reduce waiting lists, freeing up ten million GP appointments a year so people get the care they need faster.”
Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, the chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, welcomed the move but warned that pharmacies “are now seriously underfunded to the tune of £1.2 billion and as a direct result are reducing opening hours and even closing completely”.
She added: “This nonsense cannot continue and this stranglehold of chronic underfunding must be lifted now to ensure our community pharmacies survive and can deliver the potential the government expects.”
Paul Rees, the chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said the plan would “enhance the strengths of pharmacists as medicine experts” and free up GPs for other work.
“Patients will receive convenient clinical advice close to where they live, work and shop,” he added.
“The pharmacy sector is under great pressure, but despite this, pharmacy teams will do their utmost to successfully deliver this very useful service.
“This could be a stepping stone to the development of other NHS clinical services in the future, as patients become comfortable with going to their local pharmacy for primary care.”