Image of medicines on shelves in a NHS pharmacy under new scheme.

Aaliah Patel

Pharmacists in England will now be able to assess and treat patients affected by common illnesses without having to see a GP.

On Wednesday 31st January, the government introduced a Pharmacy First scheme to alleviate pressure on GP services by aiming to free up 10 million GP appointments a year, says NHS England.

Local pharmacists can now advise and supply antibiotics to patients without the need to see a doctor.

WHAT ILLNESSES DOES THE NHS PHARMACY SCHEME COVER?

Under the new NHS Pharmacy First advanced service, thousands of pharmacies can now treat patients for the following illnesses:

  • Earache
  • Sore throat
  • Shingles
  • Infected insect bites
  • Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under 65
  • Impetigo
  • Sinusitis

This scheme aims to expand public choice in where and when they can access care as it hopes to make access to healthcare easier for millions in England.

NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, 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 choices 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,” she continued.

“Pharmacy First gives you choice”

Furthermore, Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “When suffering from conditions like sore throat or earache, we know that patients want to be able to access the care they need quickly.

“Pharmacy First gives you choice, and the ability to be seen faster to get the care you need, providing easier and quicker access.”

CONCERNS OVER THE NHS PHARMACY SCHEME

Although welcomed by the pharmacy sector, there have been concerns regarding the pressure the new scheme may place on already underfunded pharmacies.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, is concerned about the impact of the scheme as she cautioned that pharmacies were “severely underfunded to the tune of £1.2b now and as a direct result of that are reducing opening hours and even closing completely.”

BBC News analysis revealed the number of chemists in England have fallen to its lowest since 2015, as the number of pharmacies fell by 160 over the last two years.

Head of retail operations at Peak Pharmacy, Matt Webster, said: “Although we are pleased that Pharmacy First has launched, the additional funding provided is mostly offset by the additional time.”

“Our funding from the NHS has been frozen for five years while costs, demands and expectations have continued to rise.”

The scheme began in November last year. However, not everyone has been satisfied with the new changes.

Caroline Molloy, a journalist for openDemocracy, recently recounted her negative experience whilst being treated at a pharmacy on X. She suspected she had shingles, but a pharmacist told her “emphatically” that it was not.

They then advised her not to go to the NHS hospital for a second opinion and, instead, offered a private service with a Superdrug GP.

Instead, Molloy went to her local minor injuries and illness unit who “quickly and easily” diagnosed her with “classic shingles.”

Many other users commented. They recalled having similar experiences of being incorrectly assessed and treated by their local pharmacists – which can be dangerous and life-threatening.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE UK?

Other regions of the UK already have similar implementations of this scheme.

Wales has a Common Aliments scheme that also treats illnesses. A Welsh government report found more than 400,000 GP appointments were freed up under this scheme after a year.

Scotland launched a Pharmacy First Plus scheme in 2020 and is available at fewer than a third of Scottish pharmacies. England saw this as an ideal model to implement at home.

By the end of March 2022, Pharmacy First Scotland had carried out more than 3.3 million consultations as Community Pharmacy Scotland deemed this a “massive achievement.”

There is a similar scheme in Northern Ireland. But the list of illnesses that can be treated is more limited.

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Featured image courtesy of Árpád Czapp on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.

Politics & Current Affairs writer

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