Patients in Liverpool can now get prescription medicines for certain conditions direct from a local pharmacy.

Pharmacy First is a convenient new NHS service that is now available across the city. It allows people to walk straight into their nearest pharmacy and access prescription medicines and treatments for a number of minor conditions – without needing to contact or see a GP first.

Under Pharmacy First, people can now seek treatment for any of the following common symptoms at a local pharmacy:

• Sore throats
• Urinary infections
• Eye infections (conjunctivitis)
• Oral thrush in babies
• Impetigo
• Mild skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema or insect bite reactions
• Nappy rash for babies
• Other skin problems such as minor cuts, burns, and scalds

To start using the service, simply drop into your nearest pharmacy and ask about treatment for any of these conditions under ‘Pharmacy First’.

All treatment provided under Pharmacy First will be completely free for people who don’t pay for their prescriptions, and charged at the normal prescription rate for those who do.

The Pharmacy First service is suitable for most people to use, and parents/carers can also access the service with their child or young person too. But anyone who has recurring symptoms or has already recently received treatment for the same condition, may not be eligible. This is because a recurring problem could indicate that further medical investigation is needed by a GP.

Pharmacy First will operate alongside the already popular Care at the Chemist scheme, which allows pharmacists to provide non-prescription drugs for a wide range of minor conditions – either free if you don’t pay for a prescription, or at a lower charge if you do.

Although Pharmacy First and Care the Chemist don’t cover every single condition, they do cover a lot of the most common ones, which makes a pharmacy a great place to seek advice and treatment. Local pharmacists are highly trained health professionals who can provide lots of helpful health advice and treatments – and many of them are open from early until late into the evenings, and over weekends too.

For more information about Pharmacy First, please ask a member of staff in your local pharmacy.

(Please note: The Pharmacy First offer is commissioned by NHS Liverpool CCG and is currently only available in Liverpool-based pharmacies)