Your Local Pharmacy Is Here for You This Winter

Advice and Information - 9 October 2025

This winter, your community pharmacy offers an easy, appointment-free way to get expert advice, treatment and—where appropriate—prescription medicines for common ailments. By choosing Pharmacy First instead of booking a GP appointment, you’ll be seen quicker

Pharmacist, Julie, discusses the Pharmacy First scheme and how local pharmacists can help with 7 common conditions without the patient having to see a GP first

Which Conditions Can Be Treated?


Your pharmacist can provide advice, treatment and prescription-only medicines (where clinically appropriate) for:


•     Earache (aged 1–17 years)
•     Impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
•     Infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
•     Shingles (aged 18 years and over)
•     Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
•     Sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
•     Urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16–64 years

To find a pharmacy near you click on the link below;

Find a participating pharmacy – healthcare professionals can use the NHS Service Finder to locate pharmacies that are participating in the service.

Looking for information about health and care?

Find advice and information to help you stay well and make decisions about your health and social care support.

Find advice and information

You might also be interested in

How pharmacies can help

Advice from a pharmacist

Pharmacists can offer advice on a range of illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, ear infections and aches and pains.

They can also give advice about medicines. This includes how to use your medicine, worries about side effects or any other questions you have.

If they cannot help you themselves, they can refer you to a GP or other health professional.
Treatment from a pharmacist
Pharmacists can suggest treatments that do not need a prescription for a range of conditions.

Most pharmacies can also offer prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP or make an appointment. This is called Pharmacy First.

Conditions they can offer prescription medicine for are:

impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
urinary tract infections (UTIs) (women aged 16 to 64 years)
shingles (aged 18 years and over)
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice and support decisions about self care treatment with over the counter medicines, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.

If you go to a pharmacy with one of these conditions, the pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or refer you to a GP or other health professional if needed. They will also update your GP health record, but your information will not be shared with anyone else.

Most pharmacies can provide prescription medicine for these conditions but contact them before visiting to check.
Advice and Information

Patients praise pharmacy services, but medicine shortages persist

A year after the launch of Pharmacy First, the NHS scheme designed to speed up treatment for common conditions, we have published a new poll of over 7,000 adults’ experience of using pharmacies.
A year after the NHS launched Pharmacy First to provide quicker treatment for common conditions, new research shows high public satisfaction with seeking advice from pharmacists, but medicine supply issues continue to frustrate patients.

Regional differences in access and awareness of how pharmacists can help also present challenges.
Blog
Listening ear

What we heard report - January 25

During January 2025, we spoke to 78 people about their experiences of health and social care services in Rotherham. This was through a combination of in-person engagement and enquiries. You can see the feedback we heard below:
Report