NHS promotes Pharmacy First as alternative to A&E

NHS England has launched a campaign to raise awareness of Pharmacy First services as an alternative to A&E this winter.

Last winter, there were more than 200,000 A&E attendances for conditions that could have been dealt with elsewhere, including 83,705 attendances for earache, 96,998 attendances for sore throat, and 8,669 attendances for itching skin, according to NHS data.

This represents a 12% increase in cases involving sore throat and 11% increase in cases involving earache since summer 2024.

In response, the NHS England has launched a campaign raising awareness of the alternative ways to access care, such as Pharmacy First.

‘Pharmacy First will give patients access to quick, easy support’ for seven common conditions, it said in a statement.

It is also promoting the expanded community pharmacy contraception service and new medicine service, which now enable pharmacists to provide emergency contraception and support people who have been newly prescribed antidepressants.

In response to the campaign, Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘While these conditions make up a very small proportion of A&E attendances, we would encourage patients to consider if emergency departments are the best places for them to receive care.

‘To manage growing demand NHS leaders are continuing to set up viable alternatives to emergency care for some patients – including better access to GPs, urgent treatment centres, walk-in centres, and support in the community for falls and frailty.’

The move comes as flu cases rise and A&E are busier than ever before, with attendances 37,000 higher in October than in the same month last year.

NHS national director of urgent and emergency care, Julian Redhead, said: ‘The last place a patient wants to be when they have a minor illness is in a busy A&E – so this winter NHS staff are working hard to expand the number of routes into the NHS so patients can get fast and convenient care closer to them.

‘Whether the services are online, over the phone or in-person, a variety of doorways to care are open across the NHS.’

He encouraged patients to use A&E for life-threatening conditions and serious injuries only. NHS 111 can direct people with non-life-threatening conditions to the most appropriate place, whether that is their local pharmacy, a walk-in centre, or clinical self-help advice.

‘By ensuring everyone is using the right service for them, more people will be seen faster in the most appropriate place and life-saving A&E services will be kept for those patients who need them most,’ he added.

Health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: ‘This winter will be one of the busiest ever for our hard-working NHS staff dealing with soaring flu cases and tough pressures across A&Es up and down the country.

‘We are doing all we can to make sure patients are kept safe and get the right care during this time of intense pressure. We can all do our bit this winter by making sure we only use A&E in for genuine accidents and emergencies.’

The NHS has also released a short film titled ‘24 Hours Not In A&E’ as part of its campaign to help people navigate their health concerns and avoid unnecessary visits to A&E departments and GPs.

In September, the government announced that pharmacy owners would be obligated to take part in a national health campaign promoting Pharmacy First as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) for 2025/26.

Pharmacies can fulfil their campaign obligations in various ways, including: