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 (this is called Pharmacy First).
Conditions they can treat as part of Pharmacy First are:
- 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)
The pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or refer you to a GP or another healthcare professional if needed.
Pharmacies will update your GP health record.
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.
Please note on weekends online self-referral may take longer as the practice is closed and will not look at your assessment till we are open, for quicker response please walk into your local pharmacy.
Getting the contraceptive pill without a prescription
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.
Get a free blood pressure check
You can get a free blood pressure checked 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 your 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.