Stop tinkering at edges of NHS reform and get to the heart

‘Public infrastructure is quite literally bursting at the seams’

- Esther Krakue

THE PRIME Minister has hailed the launch of his healthcare". The ground-breaking initiative will empower more than 10,000 pharmacies across England to issue NHS care for seven common conditions without the need for GP intervention or a prescription.

As of yesterday, patients can seek immediate, straightforPharmacy First scheme as a triumph for the NHS and a "mini revolution in high street ward treatment for sore throats, earache, shingles, sinusitis and urinary tract infections.

Nearly half of all pharmacies in England have already started prescribing the oral contraceptive pill. Many more will also increase the number of bloodpressure checks.

People living within a 20-minute journey of a pharmacy can now access clinical advice where they live, work and shop, without the fuss of an 8am rush to book GP appointments.

According to a government report, a similar scheme in Wales, known as the Clinical Community Pharmacy Service, already freed up over 400,000 GP appointments last year.

In England alone, the rollout of Pharmacy First could alleviate pressure on 10 million GP appointments a year, which should be welcome news for the 7.6 million people currently on waiting lists in the country.