Community Pharmacy Services
Pharmacy First and Pharmacy Minor Illness Clinics
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. Pharmacies will update your GP health record.
Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy First are:
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.
Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy Minor Illness are:
- Bee sting, wasp sting, insect bite (excluding ticks)
- Cough (for less than 3 weeks), cold, cold sore
- Hay fever
- Hearing problems
- Sticky, watery, dry, sore eyes
- Constipation, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, haemorrhoids, indigestion
- Vaginal itching (not pregnant/diabetic/under 16/over 60/recurrent)
- Mouth ulcers, oral thrush
- MSK pain
- Acne, athlete’s foot, eczema, fungal rash, nappy rash, scabies, allergic rash
- Wounds
- Warts/verruca
- Worms
- Hair loss
- Insomnia
If you have any of these conditions your GP surgery can refer you to the pharmacy or you can walk into your local pharmacy.
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/how-pharmacies-can-help/
Hypertension Service
If you do not already have an appointment with our nursing staff, you can walk into our GP Practice at any time during our opening hours to measure your BP. Our friendly staff can assist you. Alternatively, your local pharmacist will offer a free blood pressure check for the below adults:
- If over the age of 40 years
- Having not previously been identified as having hypertension or a related condition
- Having not had their blood pressure measured by a health professional within the previous six months
At the end of a consultation, where readings indicate:
- Normal blood pressure, the pharmacist will promote healthy behaviours.
- High blood pressure, the pharmacist will offer Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) from the pharmacy and will also promote healthy behaviours.
- Very high blood pressure, the pharmacist will urgently refer the patient to see their GP within 24 hours and the pharmacist will inform the patient’s GP practice by NHS mail or via another locally agreed platform.
- Low blood pressure, the pharmacist will provide appropriate advice and may also refer the patient to their GP if there are any concerns.
All blood pressure readings are sent to the GP from the pharmacy so records can be updated and appropriate action taken.
Your GP surgery can refer you to the pharmacy or you can walk into your local pharmacy.
https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Pharmacy/
Contraception Service
Pharmacists offer a confidential consultation about the contraceptive pill. The supply of oral contraception will be exempt from any prescription charges. Pharmacies will only inform the GP practice that individuals have accessed the service, with their consent.
To be eligible to access this service a person must be:
- An individual seeking to be initiated on an oral contraception (OC), or seeking to obtain a further supply of their ongoing OC:
- Combined Oral Contraceptive (COC) – from menarche up to and including 49 years of age
- Progestogen Only Pill (POP) – from menarche up to and including 54 years of age
Your GP surgery can refer you to the pharmacy or you can walk into your local pharmacy.
https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Pharmacy/
Emergency Medication Service
If you have run out of prescribed medicine and need some urgently, there are a few ways to get an emergency supply, including out of hours.
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/emergency-prescriptions/
Access the Pharmacy First triage system.