Millions of patients in England will be able to get prescriptions for seven common conditions, plus more blood pressure checks and the contraceptive pill, directly from pharmacies under proposals to tackle the crisis in GP surgeries.
Those suffering from earache, a sore throat, sinusitis, impetigo, shingles, infected insect bites and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIS) in women are set to be prescribed medicine by pharmacists without seeing a doctor or nurse for the first time.
The reforms, to be set out by the government and NHS England in a primary care plan today, are designed to free up 15m GP appointments over the next two years. In the past five months, 24m consultations took place more than a fortnight after being requested by the patient almost 5m each month on average, data shows.
The blueprint was broadly welcomed by health leaders, with Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, calling it a "real game-changer" for patients.
But experts warned that not all pharmacies would be able to offer all or any of the new services, meaning the shake-up could result in frustrated patients being "bumped from pillar to post, only to end up back at the GP".
There are also concerns that patients may not be able to recognise the seriousness of some conditions, including whether a UTI can be classed as "uncomplicated".
This story is from the May 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the May 09, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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