Pharmacy First – Minor Ailments
Local pharmacies can now assess and treat you with medicines (including antibiotics when appropriate) for a range of conditions without needing a GP review. You can walk-in to any of your local pharmacies for assessments for a range of conditions.
The following conditions, in particular, can be managed by Pharmacy colleagues who will be able to assess and directly issue medications (if needed) to manage this:
- SORE THROAT (for those of age 5 years and over)
- EAR PAIN (for those aged 1 to 17 years)
- UTIs or Urinary tract infections (women aged 16 to 64 years)
- SINUSITIS (aged 12 years and over)
- Infected INSECT bites (aged 1 year and over)
- SHINGLES (aged 18 years and over) – Infection that causes a painful rash
- IMPETIGO (for those of age 1 year and over)
If you are not within these age ranges or present with a different condition, a pharmacist can still offer advice, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.
Find a Pharmacy: Pharmacy Search Tool
Hypertension (Blood Pressure Check) Case Finding Service (HCFS)
Pharmacies can offer a hypertension (blood pressure checking) service by identifying if patients have hypertension (high blood pressure), this is done in two stages: the first is identifying people at risk of hypertension and offering them a blood pressure measurement. The second is where clinically indicated, an ambulatory blood pressure monitor will be offered. This is a 24h blood pressure check.
Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS)
Pharmacies can offer contraception services by having a consultation with a pharmacist. They may initiate the patient on oral contraceptives to start with as well as perform ongoing monitoring and supply of the prescription.
For further information, please ask your local pharmacy to find out what services they can offer and provide without the need for a GP appointment.
Emergency Prescriptions
Have you run out of medicines that you need urgently? Requesting with the GP surgery can take up to 3 working days to be issued, it is recommended to request a repeat medicine in good time with the GP surgery but if you need it urgently you can request via this website: NHS Emergency Prescriptions
NHS App
The NHS app is an application that can be used on mobile phones and computers, you can download it via the App or Play Store and create an account. The NHS app offers a variety of tools to make accessing your healthcare and sending requests to 111 or your GP surgery easier.
- Accessing Care Record – You can access your care record, i.e. consultations, documents, test requests, etc. On the Home page of the app, navigate to “Your health” and then “GP health record”
- Booking GP Appointments – You can use the app to book available GP appointments. To do this from the Home page, access the “Services” page and then “Check for available GP appointments”. You will be asked to select which type of appointment you want and how far ahead. If the GP is fully booked, no appointments will show but you can still contact us at 020 8545 9620 to check for availability.
- Ordering Repeat Medicines – The app allows patients to request for medicines they have been prescribed on a repeated basis. You can access this from Home page by going to “Services” and then “Request repeat prescriptions”. You also have the option of changing your nominated pharmacy in case the medicines should be sent elsewhere.