5M CHECK IN WITH PHARMACIST FIRST

Scheme is taking pressure off GPs

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

OVER five million patients have consulted a pharmacist instead of their GP since an NHS scheme to take pressure off doctors began.

The Pharmacy First initiative was launched across England in January 2024 after GP numbers plummeted during the previous decade of Tory rule.

Around 2.4 million people have since seen their pharmacist by just walking in to the shop. The rest was by appointment.

Pharmacists do five years of training in medication use and minor health issues, and people can now go to them with seven common conditions.