Do you have migraines, acne or an ear infection? Go to the pharmacy first

This autumn, people will be able to go to their local pharmacy in England and receive on-site treatment for 12 common conditions without having to see their GP first.

Pharmacists can already prescribe medications for seven conditions: sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites and urinary tract infections.

Five more are now being added to this list – migraines, acne, scabies, ear infections and a severely stuffy nose.

NHS England said the move was aimed at easing pressure on busy GPs and emergency departments while ensuring people can get treatment quickly and conveniently.

After a very hot summer and three of the busiest months in the history of emergency departments in England, the NHS says it wants to make it as easy as possible for people to get help when they need it in their everyday settings.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said people were “fed up with the hassle of routine appointments” and wanted help close to home so they no longer had to take time off work or wait to be seen.

“For five more common conditions, you can go to your local pharmacy and get treatment on the spot,” he said.

Mr Burnham said families would feel the change and the plan would give people “valuable time” back.

Five diseases that can now be treated in pharmacies:

This is in addition to these seven:

Several hundred chemists will initially offer treatments for five new diseases, according to NHS England.

The rollout will be gradual and the service will eventually be available in thousands of local NHS pharmacies across England.

Community pharmacies also offer support with healthy eating, exercise, smoking cessation, blood pressure management, contraception, flu and Covid vaccinations.

Charity Migraine Trust said it was delighted by the news after calling for more help to treat migraines in pharmacies.

Chief executive Rob Musick said supporting people with migraines through their local pharmacy was a “great opportunity for faster and better treatment”.

Dr Amanda Doyle, director of primary care and community services for NHS England, said she wanted to make sure patients could get as much support as possible in their communities “so they don’t have to be admitted to hospital unnecessarily”.

But organizations representing pharmacies across England have consistently said funding provided by the government does not cover the workload of the new plans.

“Pharmacies continue to face significant financial pressure,” said Henry Gregg, executive director of the National Pharmaceutical Association.

“This shows why the Government should go much further and invest in our pharmacy network, which has the power to transform people’s experience of everyday health issues.”

The Pharmacy First program started in England in 2024. There have been 14 million consultations since then, including two million for sore throats and 1.7 million for urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to the NHS.

People can be referred to their local pharmacy through NHS111 or their GP, or simply go straight to their nearest pharmacy.

There is a scheme in Scotland that has been seen as a model for England’s Pharmacy First programme. Northern Ireland and Wales also have systems in place to allow pharmacies to treat patients with certain conditions.

Patients can be treated for 27 different conditions in Scottish pharmacies.