Treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) cost NHS hospitals in England an estimated £604m in 2023-24, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The figures – revealing a 9% increase in hospital admissions for UTIs – cover the financial year before the launch of Pharmacy First in England, which includes the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs in women.
Recent NHS Business Services Authority data showed some 665,409 UTIs have been treated in pharmacies since the launch of Pharmacy First on 31 January 2024.
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Among the seven common conditions covered under the service, only acute sore throat saw more cases (835,679) treated by pharmacists.
The UKHSA data – based on analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for the 2023-24 financial year – found nearly 200,000 patients were admitted to hospital in England with a primary diagnosis of UTI, accounting for 1.2 million bed days.
A third of patients were in hospital for less than a day, pointing to potential for further community-based interventions.
According to National Pharmacy Association (NPA) analysis, at least six million hours of time in A&E was taken up last year by patients with issues that could have been treated in a community pharmacy, at a cost to the NHS of at least £250m.
Olivier Picard, NPA chair, commented: ‘If people have noticed the early symptoms of a UTI, they can be quickly and safely treated in their local pharmacy without having to visit their GP or A&E under the Pharmacy First scheme.
‘This can prevent much more serious health complications from leaving UTIs untreated.’
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The UKHSA figures show UTI admissions remain highest among older people and women, with more than half (52.7%) of hospital patients aged over 70 and nearly two-thirds (61.8%) female.
Dr Colin Brown, deputy director at UKHSA, emphasised that preventing UTIs is also important in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as they are often treated with antibiotics, driving resistance in bacteria.
‘Reducing the number of UTI infections means bacteria have less chance to develop this resistance, helping keep antibiotics working for longer,’ he said.
Professor Matt Inada-Kim, national clinical director for infections management and antimicrobial resistance at NHS England, commented: 'Antimicrobial resistance continues to grow and it is vital that we do everything we can to manage urinary infections through prevention, education and providing easy access to healthcare – including diagnostic tests and appropriate treatment.'
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A recent House of Commons report by the Public Accounts Committee suggested that community pharmacies could help reduce rates of AMR through Pharmacy First.
Speaking in parliament last month, pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock suggested that take-up of Pharmacy First was not where the government ‘would like it to be’.
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