Minor Illness

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)

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 till we are open, for quicker response please walk into your local pharmacy. 

Find a Pharmacy: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy 

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

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.

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

Some pharmacies offer a free blood pressure check. Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks.