Seven conditions can be treated free at a pharmacy today. We would rather you knew that than paid us for one of them.
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We say plainly where the other option is stronger
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Care led personally by Dr Khan
Attentive, unhurried care that listens properly
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This is a comparison where we lose most of the time, and we would rather say so plainly.
The NHS Pharmacy First scheme in England lets community pharmacists assess and, where appropriate, supply prescription medicines for seven common conditions — free, without an appointment, often within the hour. If your problem is on that list, that is almost certainly the right place to go.
What follows is the honest account of where the boundary sits, because the scheme is genuinely useful and considerably less well known than it should be.
Free, walk-in, and the pharmacist can supply antibiotics or antivirals where the criteria are met.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own pharmacy schemes with different scope.
Pharmacy First is a narrow scheme by design. Chest infections, skin conditions other than impetigo, joint problems, mental health, hormonal problems, gut symptoms, long-term condition reviews and anything undiagnosed all fall outside it.
A pharmacy consultation is protocol-driven and brief. That is appropriate for a sore throat and inadequate for six months of fatigue, a symptom that has changed, or three interacting problems at once.
Twenty minutes with a GP exists for the second kind of problem, not the first.
Pharmacists working under Pharmacy First cannot write referral letters, sick notes, or prescriptions for anything outside the seven pathways. Those are included in our fee rather than charged as extras.
You see the same doctor, and you receive a written summary you can pass to your own GP.
That is the whole argument, and it is a strong one. For a sore throat, an earache in a child, sinusitis, an infected bite, impetigo, shingles or a simple urine infection in a woman aged 16 to 64, Pharmacy First costs nothing and we cost £40 for the same outcome.
No appointment, no booking, no waiting for a video slot. Walk in, and in many cases walk out with treatment.
Antiviral treatment for shingles works best within 72 hours of the rash appearing, and a pharmacy you can reach today beats any appointment tomorrow. This is a case where going to the pharmacy is not just cheaper but clinically better.
A pharmacist can look in an ear, look at a throat, and look at a rash in person. We cannot examine you at all, and for an earache in a child that is a real limitation rather than a minor one.
If your problem is on the list of seven, go to a pharmacy before you pay anyone. It is free, immediate, and delivers the same treatment.
You do not need to check eligibility yourself. Walk in and describe the problem; the pharmacist will tell you whether it fits the scheme or whether you need a doctor — and that assessment is free too.
If your problem is straightforwardly a Pharmacy First condition, we will tell you so during the consultation, treat you, and say plainly that the pharmacy would have been free.
We will not pretend the assessment was more complex than it was. Knowing that costs us the repeat booking, and we would still rather you knew.
Do not delay for shingles. Whichever route reaches treatment fastest within 72 hours is the right one.
No. Walk in. Some pharmacies also accept bookings.
Where the clinical criteria are met, yes. Where they are not, they will explain why an antibiotic will not help — which is the same answer a good GP gives, and for the same reasons.
Because urinary symptoms in men, and in older women, are more often complicated — involving the prostate, the kidneys, or something else. Those need a doctor.
Go back, to the pharmacy or to a doctor. Symptoms not settling as expected is a reason to be reassessed, not to try another remedy.
Pharmacy First as described is the English scheme. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements with different coverage — ask your local pharmacy.
On these seven conditions, yes. We would rather be the service that told you about the free option than the one that quietly took £40 for a sore throat.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026
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Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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