How is the NHS shifting care to communities?

The NHS is shifting care by expanding the role of pharmacists and local health centers to deliver services previously managed in hospitals, aiming for more accessible community-based healthcare.

What are the challenges facing community pharmacies?

Community pharmacies face significant challenges due to underfunding, leading to rising costs, business rate increases, and a risk of closures, which jeopardizes their ability to provide expanded NHS services.

Home / Health / Pharmacists: The New Front Door to the NHS?

Pharmacists: The New Front Door to the NHS?

Q: What is the Pharmacy First scheme in England?

The Pharmacy First scheme in England allows pharmacists to supply prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions, such as sinusitis and earache, without a GP appointment.

8 Mar

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Summary

Pharmacists are becoming the NHS's new front door, offering more community-based care.
The Pharmacy First scheme allows pharmacists to supply prescription medicines for seven conditions.
Underfunding threatens the expansion of community pharmacy services, risking closures.

Pharmacists: The New Front Door to the NHS?

The National Health Service (NHS) is undergoing a significant shift, aiming to move care from hospitals to local communities, with pharmacists positioned as the new 'front door'. This vision, championed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, anticipates that within a decade, much of current hospital care will be delivered on the high street, within pharmacies and local health centers.

Pharmacists are increasingly trained to prescribe medications on behalf of the NHS. Through initiatives like the Pharmacy First scheme in England, they are authorized to supply prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions, including sinusitis, sore throat, and urinary tract infections, without requiring a GP appointment. This expansion is seen as a vital step to alleviate pressure on GPs and A&E services.