Increase in pharmacists treating people for minor illness

In June, more than 100,000 patients were seen by their high-street pharmacist, an increase of more than four-fifths on June 2021.

118,123 people were treated for minor illnesses including sore throat or constipation, after calling NHS 111 or their GP practice.

NHS England has also announced expanded roles for community pharmacies ahead of winter. From this week, NHS 111 online will be able to directly refer people to high street pharmacist for a same-day consultation, instead of patients needing to call the phone line.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Our local pharmacies ensure hundreds of thousands of people every week get the support and medication they need and today’s figures show that in just one month, over 100,000 patients have also had consultations with their local pharmacist for minor illnesses – this means patients are getting the care they need quickly but also in a convenient way that can fit in with their busy lives.

“We are committed to making access to NHS services as easy as possible for our patients – from this week, people can be referred for a consultation with their local pharmacy through the touch of a button through NHS 111 online and from tomorrow, a new pilot will mean people can register for a local GP practice online within minutes.

“It is likely that we will face a busy and challenging winter and while we have already announced plans to boost capacity across our services, I am delighted that hardworking pharmacy teams are playing an even greater role.

“It is vital that the public continue to use the NHS as they normally would if they are unwell so people should continue to use NHS 111 and as ever if it is life-threatening, call 999”.