England's pharmacies are about to get even busier, as the government announces a £340m investment to expand the Pharmacy First scheme, allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for five additional common ailments starting this autumn. The specifics of those ailments remain a mystery - perhaps the Department of Health is keeping them under wraps to build suspense.
Currently, pharmacists can already prescribe for sore throats, earaches, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites, and urinary tract infections under the scheme, which launched in 2024. More than 3.3 million consultations were carried out between March 2025 and February 2026, proving that people really do prefer not to wait weeks for a GP appointment.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock heralded the move as a way to "make the most of our highly skilled pharmacists" and ease pressure on GP surgeries and hospitals. "Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift, cutting unnecessary red tape," he said, presumably while not having to deal with rising business rates himself.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and the Independent Pharmacies Association are significantly less thrilled. NPA chairman Dr Olivier Picard noted that the funding does little to close the £2.5bn funding gap identified by the NHS, calling the expanded scheme "nowhere near ambitious enough." Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, which represents about 5,000 pharmacies across England and Wales, warned that many pharmacists are "really thinking about whether they can keep their heads above the water" given that "the funding on offer doesn't cover the workload."
So, more care on your doorstep - just don't expect the pharmacist to be able to afford their own doorstep.