Pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities and the launch of the new Pharmacy First service will offer patients more choice in how and where they access care by making even better use of our highly trained community pharmacists.
For the first time ever, community pharmacies in England will be able to offer NHS consultations and supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription from a GP for seven common conditions: sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
Further to my previous post, I am pleased to report that Gloucestershire Pharmacy Teams have responded swiftly and every single pharmacy in the County has signed up to deliver the service, which has placed Gloucestershire’s Integrated Care Board (ICB) first out of all 42 ICBs in England with 100% community pharmacy engagement. This demonstrates a real appetite to support patients and our local healthcare system.