Pharmacies to Treat Several Common Medical Conditions
Highly trained pharmacists can now treat medical conditions like sinusitis and shingles without needing a prescription or a trip to the GP surgery. Last week, it was announced that over 10,000 pharmacies will now be able to treat patients for seven common conditions, to free up around 10 million appointments for GPs per year.
Falling under the government’s primary care access recovery plan, the NHS’ Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, had this to say about the news:
“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 choice 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.”
The seven conditions are:
Sinusitis
Sore throat
Earache
Infected insect bite
Impetigo (a bacterial skin infection)
Shingles
Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
To cater to the expected increased demand placed upon pharmacies, the government has committed just under £650 million spread over two years to support community pharmacies. The scheme, called Pharmacy First, will be available across England and run by NHS England.
Ms Tase Oputu, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, commented on the news, saying:
“Pharmacy First is a leap forward in improving patient care by making treatments for a range of conditions more accessible from community pharmacies.
“The expansion of clinical services not only empowers patients with greater choice on where and how they receive care, but also makes the most of the valuable skills of pharmacists and their teams.”
The scheme will enable pharmacists to assess patients and prescribe antibiotics and antivirals for the conditions listed where deemedappropriate. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said this regarding the scheme:
“This is about ensuring people get the treatment they need closer to home, while crucially helping deliver on our plan to cut waiting lists, by freeing up 10 million GP appointments a year, so people get the care they need more quickly.”
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