The NHS has confirmed a rule change allowing pharmacies in England to prescribe more medications from autumn 2026, as part of a government push to speed up care and ease pressure on GP surgeries and hospitals.
Pharmacy First Scheme Expansion
Under the Labour Party government's shake-up, the Pharmacy First scheme will enable pharmacists to prescribe medications for conditions including sore throat, earache, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites, and urinary tract infections. The changes are designed to boost access to services and give patients more care on their doorstep, according to NHS England and the Labour government.
Government and Industry Reactions
Labour Party Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said the government is "making the most of our highly skilled pharmacists, while boosting access to services and giving patients more care right on their doorstep." He added: "Independent prescribing will play a major part in delivering this shift, easing pressures on GPs, cutting unnecessary red tape and helping patients get the right care closer to home."
However, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has expressed concerns that the deal does not adequately address rising business rates, employer costs, and medicine prices. NPA chairman Dr Olivier Picard said: "We remain concerned that it does very little to close the £2.5bn funding gap that the NHS itself identified a year ago." He warned the scheme was "nowhere near ambitious enough to transform patient access to care, nor make full use of pharmacists' skills."
Dr Picard added: "We are also concerned that the current funding levels mean that many pharmacies will struggle to take this development forwards, risking its success. Pharmacies cannot sustain yet more loss-making work."
Independent Pharmacy Perspective
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, told the BBC: "Many pharmacists will find themselves in a situation where they're really thinking about whether they can keep their heads above the water."
