Patients in the East Midlands will be able to get treatment for seven common conditions at their high street pharmacy from today without needing to see a GP, as part of a major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care.

More than 97% of community pharmacies in the East Midlands will be offering the ground-breaking initiative, with the health service making it easier and more convenient for people to access care.

Highly trained pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women (under the age of 65) without the need for an appointment or prescription.

The major expansion of pharmacy services will give the public more choice in where and how they access care, aiming to free up 10 million GP appointments a year.

Lindsey Fairbrother is pharmacist at the Goodlife Pharmacy in Hatton, Derbyshire where they have been offering similar services for a while. “Extended care services have given much better access to the public to appropriate treatment for minor conditions. This relieves pressure on GPs and makes full use of the pharmacist’s clinical skills. extends how we can help the patient and gives much greater scope for GP reception staff to triage minor ailments to community pharmacy.”

When her patient Gemma Hanson from Tutbury previously visited her local pharmacy to pick up a private prescription for a UTI, the pharmacy informed her that they can now provide advice and treatment for this directly through the NHS, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.

“They said that next time I could directly contact and visit the pharmacy instead, which is exactly what I did.

The next time I experienced UTI symptoms and was suffering in pain, I called Goodlife Pharmacy as advised. They told me to drop in as soon as I could. The person on the phone was helpful, I was able to go to the pharmacy when it was convenient for me, and there was no wait. As soon as the pharmacist finished serving the customer in front of me, I was taken into a private room and prescribed antibiotics. It was effortless, and the pharmacist was lovely. I even had a follow up call from her the week after which I was impressed by, they really cared!

Emma Anderson is pharmacist at the group of Evans Pharmacies with pharmacies throughout the East Midlands. “I am excited to be able to do a bit more for the people who use the pharmacy. Patients who use the pharmacy have been grateful to the access to care that the current services that we have allows, and they are keen to be able to receive more services at the pharmacy.”

Kevin Giles from East Leake is a patient – he was surprised by the ease and speed when he was referred by his GP, seen and treated by the pharmacist all on the same day.

“I had a telephone appointment with my GP for an earache that I have been suffering with.

“My GP explained that this is something that I can visit my local pharmacy for and that they’ll make a referral. I wasn’t sure what to expect but a little while later (on the same day) the pharmacy called and asked me to come in.

“It was really simple and easy, they are right next to my GP surgery so practical too. I was happy to be seen on the same day and was prescribed medication by the pharmacist.

“No complaints from me, the pharmacy staff were lovely. Knowing that I can visit my pharmacy directly for minor illnesses is great and will save time.”

The scheme is part of the NHS and government’s primary care access recovery plan, which committed to making accessing healthcare easier for millions of people.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “GPs are already treating millions more people every month than before the pandemic, but with an ageing population and growing demand, we know the NHS needs to give people more choice and make accessing care as easy as possible.

“People across England rightly value the support they receive from their high street pharmacist, and with eight in ten living within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy and twice as many pharmacies in areas of deprivation, they are the perfect spot to offer people convenient care for common conditions.

“This is great news for patients – from today you can pop into one of more than 10,000 high street pharmacies in England to get a consultation on seven common conditions including ear-ache, a sore throat or sinusitis at a convenient time, with many pharmacies open late into the evening.

“This is all part of major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care, with the health service determined to giving people more choice in how they can access treatment.”

Community pharmacies already play a vital role in keeping their local communities healthy and well. And Pharmacists are now ramping up the number of life-saving blood pressure checks given to at-risk patients over the next year with a commitment to deliver 2.5 million a year by Spring 2025 – up from 900,000 carried out in 2022. It is estimated this could prevent more than 1,350 heart attacks and strokes in the first year.

It builds on the successful expansion of the contraceptive pill service in December 2023, with almost 5,000 pharmacies in England now offering women the chance to get a supply of oral contraception over the counter from their pharmacy without needing to first see their GP.