Think Pharmacy First

Over 95% of pharmacies in England now provide the NHS Pharmacy First service which supports people in certain age groups who need help with:

• Earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• Impetigo (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 throats (aged 5 years and over)
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women (aged 16 to 64 years)

If your child or you have symptoms that suggest you may have one of these conditions, you can walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with a pharmacist in a private consultation room. Your GP surgery can also refer people to a pharmacy for the service.

Pharmacists will provide advice and, if clinically necessary, offer an NHS medicine to treat the condition (these medicines are supplied free of charge to children under 16 years, with the normal NHS prescription charge rules applying to people aged 16 or over). They will then send an electronic message to the GP surgery, so they can update their patient records.

Should the pharmacist be unable to help, you will be directed to your GP surgery or other health professional as appropriate.

If your child or you have symptoms that suggest one of the above conditions, why not give the Pharmacy First service a try?

Watch the animation on Pharmacy First

For more information, visit nhs.uk/thinkpharmacyfirst