More pharmacies in England to prescribe medication from autumn

More pharmacists successful England volition beryllium capable to prescribe medications arsenic portion of an effort to velocity up attraction and easiness unit connected GP surgeries and hospitals.

As portion of the Pharmacy First scheme, pharmacists tin presently prescribe medicine for a sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites and urinary tract infections.

From the autumn, the caller £340m concern volition spot 5 communal ailments added to this list, though it is not yet wide what these volition be.

However, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has said the woody does not bash capable to code rising concern rates, leader costs and medicine prices.

The Pharmacy First strategy successful England was first launched successful 2024, and allows patients to spot their pharmacist for advice, over-the-counter treatments and prescription-only medicines.

People tin besides sojourn the pharmacy for eye, ear, oral and dental care, arsenic good arsenic question attraction for digestive problems.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, much than 3.3 cardinal consultations nether the strategy were carried retired betwixt March 2025 and February 2026.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said the authorities is "making the astir of our highly skilled pharmacists, portion boosting entree to services and giving patients much attraction close connected their doorstep".

"Independent prescribing volition play a large portion successful delivering this shift, easing pressures connected GPs, cutting unnecessary reddish portion and helping patients get the close attraction person to home," helium said.

The NPA said that portion the woody "points successful the close direction", it did not code the "crippling" caller costs hitting pharmacies.

"We stay acrophobic that it does precise small to adjacent the £2.5bn backing spread that the NHS itself identified a twelvemonth ago," said NPA president Dr Olivier Picard, adding that the expanded strategy was "nowhere adjacent ambitious capable to alteration diligent entree to care, nor marque afloat usage of pharmacists' skills".

He went on: "We are besides acrophobic that the existent backing levels mean that galore pharmacies volition conflict to instrumentality this improvement forwards, risking its success. Pharmacies cannot prolong yet much loss-making work."