Pharmacy first
Conditions
With the Pharmacy First service, you can visit your local pharmacy for expert advice and treatment for many common conditions - no need to wait for a GP appointment. It’s fast, convenient, and safe, with trained pharmacists who can provide prescription-only medicines like antibiotics. The service is free, following normal NHS prescription rules
Learn more in our dedicated Pharmacy First hub.
Our expert
Dr Colin Tidy, MRCGP
General Practitioner, Medical Author
The Pharmacy First service lets you get treatment for common conditions - such as sore throats, earache, and UTIs - directly from your local pharmacy, without needing a GP appointment. This helps you get care quicker and frees up your doctor’s time for more complex needs.
Conditions
As well as several minor conditions, depending on your age, your pharmacist can treat you for:
Earache.
Impetigo.
Infected insect bites.
Shingles.
Sinusitis.
Sore throat.
Uncomplicated UTI's.
Find out more about the conditions a pharmacist can treat you for and their causes and symptoms.
Treatment and medication
Pharmacy First - getting the most from your pharmacist
by Lawrence Higgins
Kidney and urinary tract
9 ways to get rid of a UTI
by Amberley Davis
Medicines
Medicines for conditions such as earache, sore throat, UTI's, and infected insect bites are available directly from your pharmacist.
There are also many other types of medicine that a pharmacist can supply such as emergency contraception, painkillers, hay fever treatment, constipation relief, and basic first-aid items.
Find out more about the different types of medicines that can be bought and prescribed from a pharmacy.
Sexual health
You can visit a pharmacy for a range of sexual health services such as contraception and STI testing.
Find out more about which sexual health problems a pharmacist can help you with as well as other health advice and information on sexually transmitted infections and contraception.
Sexual health
Easy ways to get the pill: options beyond the GP surgery
by Amberley Davis
Sexual health
Home STI tests: how they work and what to expect
by Amberley Davis