Pharmacy First in Barkingside

NHS Pharmacy First in Barkingside gives eligible patients a direct route to pharmacist advice and treatment for seven common conditions. For those clinical pathways, you can contact or attend a participating community pharmacy without first getting a GP referral. The pharmacist will check whether the service is suitable for you and, if it is not, explain the safest next step.

At our High Street location in Barkingside, the service is designed to help you get the right level of care without an unnecessary GP appointment. Treatment is never automatic: the pharmacist follows an NHS clinical pathway, checks for warning signs and only supplies medicine when it is clinically appropriate.

What is NHS Pharmacy First?

Pharmacy First is an NHS community pharmacy service. It includes seven defined clinical pathways for common conditions, alongside other referral-based elements of the wider service. For the seven pathways described on this page, eligible patients can approach a participating pharmacy directly. You may also be referred by a GP practice, NHS 111 or another NHS service.

A Pharmacy First consultation can result in self-care advice, treatment advice, an NHS medicine where the pathway allows and it is clinically appropriate, or referral to another healthcare service. The aim is to complete suitable episodes of care in the pharmacy while making sure people with symptoms outside the pathway are directed to the right place.

You can also read the NHS patient guidance on how pharmacies can help for a national overview of Pharmacy First and other pharmacy services.

Which conditions are covered by Pharmacy First?

The seven NHS clinical pathways cover the following conditions and age groups. These age ranges are only the first part of eligibility; the pharmacist still needs to check the full pathway and your symptoms.

Condition	NHS pathway age range
Acute otitis media (earache in children)	1 to 17 years
Impetigo	1 year and over
Infected insect bites	1 year and over
Shingles	18 years and over
Sinusitis	12 years and over
Sore throat	5 years and over
Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI)	Women aged 16 to 64

If you are looking specifically for help with uncomplicated UTI symptoms, see our UTI treatment in Barkingside guide. That page covers the narrower UTI pathway in more detail; this service page remains the main owner for broad Pharmacy First access in Barkingside.

Who can use Pharmacy First?

Eligibility depends on the condition, your age and the clinical pathway. The pharmacist also needs enough information to decide whether your symptoms fit Pharmacy First safely. They may ask about how long you have been unwell, your medical history, allergies, current medicines, other relevant health factors and any symptoms that could indicate a more serious problem.

Being within the age range does not guarantee that treatment can be supplied. If you do not meet the pathway criteria, the pharmacist can still give appropriate advice and may direct you to your GP, NHS 111, urgent care or another service.

Do I need a GP referral?

For the seven Pharmacy First clinical pathways, no GP referral is required. You can contact or attend a participating community pharmacy directly. Referrals are also possible from GP practices, NHS 111 and other NHS services, so the route you take may depend on how you first seek help.

What happens during a Pharmacy First consultation?

The consultation is a clinical assessment, not a guaranteed route to a medicine. The pharmacist will usually:

Ask about your symptoms and how long you have had them.
Check relevant medical history, allergies and medicines you are taking.
Look for warning signs or factors that mean the Pharmacy First pathway is not suitable.
Use the NHS clinical pathway to decide whether self-care, treatment or referral is appropriate.
Explain what to do if symptoms do not improve or become worse.
Record the outcome and send the relevant information to your GP record.

Depending on the outcome, the pharmacist may advise self-care, recommend an over-the-counter treatment, supply an NHS medicine under the pathway when clinically appropriate, or refer you elsewhere. Antibiotics and other prescription-only medicines are not supplied simply because you attend; the clinical pathway must support their use.

Will I have to pay for medicine?

If an NHS medicine is supplied as part of a Pharmacy First clinical pathway, normal NHS prescription charge and exemption rules apply. If an over-the-counter medicine is recommended outside an NHS supply, you may need to buy it. The pharmacist can explain which applies after the consultation outcome is known.

When might I be referred to another service?

Pharmacy First is not intended to manage every symptom or every patient. You may be referred or signposted elsewhere if your symptoms fall outside the clinical pathway, you do not meet the eligibility criteria, your symptoms are severe or worsening, or the pharmacist identifies warning signs that need a different level of assessment.

Depending on the situation, this may mean contacting your GP, using NHS 111 online, attending urgent care, or seeking emergency help. If you think you have a life-threatening emergency, call 999.

How to access Pharmacy First in Barkingside

The pharmacy is at 151 High Street, Barkingside, Ilford IG6 2AJ. If you want to use Pharmacy First, contact the pharmacy before travelling if you would like to check service availability, or use our pharmacy appointment page to see the available booking routes. A booking request does not guarantee that Pharmacy First will be clinically suitable or that a medicine will be supplied.

For other NHS services available through the website, visit our NHS pharmacy services page.

FAQs — Pharmacy First Barkingside

What conditions can Pharmacy First treat?

For the seven NHS clinical pathways, Pharmacy First covers sinusitis from age 12, sore throat from age 5, acute otitis media linked to earache in children aged 1 to 17, impetigo from age 1, infected insect bites from age 1, shingles from age 18, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women aged 16 to 64. The pharmacist will still check the full pathway and your individual eligibility before recommending treatment.

Do I need a GP referral?

Not for the seven Pharmacy First clinical pathways. Eligible patients can contact or attend a participating community pharmacy directly. You may also be referred by a GP practice, NHS 111 or another NHS service.

Who can use Pharmacy First?

Eligibility depends on the condition, age range and the clinical pathway. The pharmacist will ask about your symptoms, health history, medicines and any warning signs to decide whether Pharmacy First is appropriate or whether another NHS service is more suitable.

What happens during the consultation?

The pharmacist will take a clinical history, ask about your symptoms and current medicines, and check for warning signs. They may give self-care advice, recommend treatment, supply an NHS medicine when clinically appropriate under the pathway, or refer you to another service. The consultation outcome is recorded and shared with your GP.

When will the pharmacist refer me elsewhere?

You may be referred or signposted elsewhere if your symptoms fall outside the Pharmacy First pathway, you do not meet the eligibility criteria, you have warning signs, your symptoms are severe or worsening, or the pharmacist decides that you need assessment by a GP, NHS 111, urgent care or another appropriate service.