English Pharmacies to Prescribe Five Additional Common Ailments from Autumn

A £340 million investment will enable more pharmacists across England to prescribe medications for an expanded range of common ailments from this autumn. This initiative, part of the Pharmacy First scheme, seeks to accelerate patient care and reduce the workload on GP surgeries and hospitals.

Currently, pharmacists operating under the Pharmacy First scheme are authorised to prescribe for conditions such as sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites, and urinary tract infections. The forthcoming expansion will add five new common ailments to this list, though specific conditions have not yet been disclosed.

Since its launch in 2024, the Pharmacy First scheme has facilitated over 3.3 million consultations between March 2025 and February 2026, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. Health Minister Stephen Kinnock stated 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'.

However, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has criticised the deal, stating it fails to address critical financial pressures faced by pharmacies, including rising business rates, employer costs, and medicine prices. NPA Chairman Dr Olivier Picard highlighted that the funding 'does very little to close the £2.5 billion funding gap that the NHS itself identified a year ago', calling the expanded scheme 'nowhere near ambitious enough'.

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, echoed these concerns, noting that while the changes are a 'step in the right direction', the 'funding on offer doesn't cover the workload to do this'. This shortfall, she warned, could jeopardise the scheme's success as many pharmacies struggle to remain viable.