Rule change provides 5 extra circumstances the place you’ll be able to skip GP queue for therapy
There are already seven conditions where you don’t need to wait for an appointment
You will no longer need to wait to see a GP
People in England will be able to seek treatment for more conditions at their local pharmacy without being referred back to their GP, the Government has announced. The £340 million deal will expand independent prescribing, meaning pharmacists with a relevant qualification will be able to make decisions and prescribe medicines on the spot.
The changes, which come into force this autumn, will ease pressure on family doctors, ministers said. The deal builds on the Pharmacy First scheme, which will be expanded to include more health issues. At the moment, the initiative allows patients to see their pharmacist for advice, over-the-counter treatments and prescription-only medicines for seven commons conditions: sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites and urinary tract infections.
They may also visit the pharmacy for eye, ear, oral and dental care, and seek treatment for digestive problems. Five more conditions will be added, although details have not yet been shared. Health minister Stephen Kinnock said the Government is “making the most of our highly skilled pharmacists, while boosting access to services and giving patients more care right on their doorstep”.
“Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift, easing pressures on GPs, cutting unnecessary red tape and helping patients get the right care closer to home,” he said.
Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: “Expanding independent prescribing will help make better use of the clinical expertise within our community pharmacy teams, helping patients get the right care in the right place while helping reducing pressure on other NHS services.”
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, more than 3.3 million Pharmacy First consultations were carried out between March 2025 and February 2026, up by 43% on the previous 12 months. Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “We welcome the agreement reached for community pharmacies in 2026/27, which includes an important commitment to a programme of reform for the sector.
“It also opens the door to pharmacist prescribing – a first step towards making fuller use of their clinical expertise. We hope these changes, accompanied by appropriate future investment, will help pharmacies to play an even greater role in supporting patients, improving access to care, and helping people get the advice and treatment they need in their communities.”
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) raised concerns that the deal “does very little” to close funding gaps in the sector and called for urgent talks with Health Secretary James Murray. NPA chairman Dr Olivier Picard said: “We hope this announcement will bring some immediate relief to pharmacies who are being hit by crippling new costs.
“However, we remain concerned that it does very little to close the £2.5 billion funding gap that the NHS itself identified a year ago.
“Independent prescribing enables pharmacists to deliver accessible, high-quality care to patients on their doorsteps. Expanding prescribing services available for patients and using the skills pharmacists have already is common sense. However, although this points in the right direction, it is nowhere near ambitious enough to transform patient access to care, nor make full use of pharmacists’ skills and qualifications beyond minor ailments to manage longer-term conditions.
“We are also concerned that the current funding levels mean that many pharmacies will struggle to take this development forwards, risking its success. Pharmacies cannot sustain yet more loss-making work.”
