UK pharmacies could gain expanded prescribing powers from autumn under new plans

Labour has announced a £340million investment to broaden the Pharmacy First scheme in England, enabling pharmacists to prescribe treatments for five additional common conditions from this autumn.

The specific ailments have yet to be confirmed, though the expansion builds upon existing provisions that already permit pharmacists to dispense medications for conditions including sore throats, earaches, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, infected bites and urinary tract infections.

Launched in 2024, the scheme allows patients to obtain advice, over-the-counter remedies and prescription-only medicines directly from their local pharmacy.

Between March 2025 and February 2026, more than 3.3 million consultations were conducted under the programme, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

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Health Minister Stephen Kinnock has championed the expansion as a means of utilising Britain's skilled pharmacy workforce more effectively.

"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," he said.

The minister 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".

The initiative aims to reduce the burden on overstretched GP surgeries and hospital services by directing patients towards their local pharmacy for treatment of routine ailments.

Despite the Government's optimism, the National Pharmacy Association has expressed significant reservations about the funding package.

NPA chairman Dr Olivier Picard acknowledged the deal "points in the right direction" but warned it fails to tackle the "crippling" financial pressures facing pharmacies.

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"We remain concerned that it does very little to close the £2.5billion funding gap that the NHS itself identified a year ago," he said.

Dr Picard added that the expanded scheme was "nowhere near ambitious enough to transform patient access to care, nor make full use of pharmacists' skills".

The association highlighted that escalating business rates, employer costs and medicine prices remain unaddressed by the new investment.

The Independent Pharmacies Association, representing approximately 5,000 pharmacies across England and Wales, has voiced similar concerns about the financial viability of the expansion.

Chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that whilst the changes represent "a step in the right direction", the "funding on offer doesn't cover the workload to do this".

She warned that "many pharmacists will find themselves in a situation where they're really thinking about whether they can keep their heads above the water".

The NPA further cautioned that current funding levels risk undermining the scheme's success, with Dr Picard stating: "Pharmacies cannot sustain yet more loss-making work."

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