Your pharmacist will soon be able to prescribe NHS medicines without a GP
Key Points
- Pharmacists in England will prescribe NHS medicines for common conditions from autumn 2026 without a GP referral.
- The change is funded by a £340m deal with Community Pharmacy England and expands Pharmacy First.
- 3,154 community pharmacists held independent prescribing qualifications in 2025; all new pharmacists qualify as prescribers from September 2026.
- The service is optional for pharmacies and covers Pharmacy First pathways plus up to five new prescribing-only pathways.
- Setup is funded by a one-off £500 fee and a £525 monthly infrastructure fee per contractor.
Pharmacists in England will be able to prescribe NHS medicines directly to patients for common conditions from autumn 2026, without a referral from a GP, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed.
The change forms part of a £340 million funding deal agreed with Community Pharmacy England for 2026 to 2027, and it expands the existing Pharmacy First service.
Pharmacists who hold an independent prescribing qualification will assess patients and prescribe medicines as part of a nationally commissioned NHS service.
Pharmacy First currently covers seven common conditions, offering immediate advice, over the counter treatments and some prescription-only medicines.
Under the new arrangement, community pharmacist prescribers will be able to prescribe within the existing Pharmacy First clinical pathways, and to provide up to five new prescribing-only pathways once a clinical reference group approves them.
They will also be able to prescribe an alternative medication where the original drug is out of stock.
The workforce position behind the rollout came in a written answer on Thursday (4 June), when Andrew Snowden, Conservative MP for Fylde, asked what assessment had been made of the staffing needed to deliver it. Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, replied that 3,154 community pharmacists held independent prescribing qualifications in England in 2025.
From September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers from the day they register with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Kinnock added that NHS England funds more than 3,000 post-registration independent prescribing training places each year, at a cost of more than £6 million annually.
The service will be optional for pharmacy contractors that have access to an independent prescriber. Funding to set it up will come through a one-off £500 fee and a £525 monthly infrastructure fee, alongside the existing consultation fees and fixed payments tied to Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service.
The department said the change will reduce the number of referrals back to GPs and the number of patients needing to go to A&E.
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said the agreement will make it easier for patients to get advice, treatment and medicines through their local pharmacy.
For patients, the practical effect is the option to walk into a participating pharmacy for treatment of a covered condition rather than booking a GP appointment first.
Demand for the existing service has grown. More than 3.3 million Pharmacy First consultations were delivered between March 2025 and February 2026, an increase of 43% on the previous 12 months, and 86% of people who used the service reported a positive experience.
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said the changes, with appropriate future investment, will help pharmacies play a greater role in supporting patients and improving access to care. Supporting documentation and changes to the terms of service are expected to follow, setting out the clinical governance requirements for the new prescribing activities.
