Pharmacy First Services

What is Pharmacy First?

Pharmacy First is a service aimed at providing patients a quick and convenient healthcare solution for minor ailments and urgent medical needs.

It can assist with conditions such as:

• 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

If you would like to fill in an assessment and self-refer online if you have one of these condition please use this link: Pharmacy First  or walk into your local pharmacy.

Please be aware that on weekends online self-referral may take longer as the practice is closed, for a quicker response please go to your local pharmacy.

FIND A PHARMACY - NHS

Contraceptives

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 - NHS

Blood Pressure Check

You can get a free blood pressure check 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 you 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 - NHS

NHS 111 – Emergency Prescriptions

If you’ve run out of prescribed medication and need an urgent supply, NHS 111 offers an online service to help:

• You will be charged your usual prescription fee, or it will be free if you don’t usually pay.

This service is not for new or recent symptoms. If you have symptoms, please call 111 and speak to an adviser instead.

Emergency prescriptions - NHS 111