NHS pharmacy first

NHS pharmacy first

 

NHS Pharmacy First

NHS Pharmacy First Scotland is an NHS service provided by your local community pharmacy and available at Muirend Pharmacy.

If you have a minor illness, a pharmacy is often the first place you should go for advice.

You do not usually need an appointment but you can use our booking form below to let us know you are coming in.

Your local pharmacist or a trained member of the pharmacy team will give you advice and provide medicine if needed. They may refer you to another healthcare professional if they feel your condition needs further investigation or more specialist care. For example your:

• GP practice
• dentist
• optometrist
• another NHS service

Who can use NHS Pharmacy First Scotland?

You can use NHS Pharmacy First Scotland if you are registered with a GP practice in Scotland or you live in Scotland.

Speak to the pharmacy team if you need more details.

How does the service work?

Pharmacists and their teams are experts in medicines and can help with minor health concerns.

A pharmacist, or a member of the pharmacy team, can give you advice and treatment (if you need it) for various minor illnesses and common clinical conditions.

Pharmacists, like GPs, can only provide certain medicines and products on the NHS. All of these are proven to be effective in treating your condition.

If you want a specific medicine or product, you may need to buy it. The pharmacist will give you advice on this.

Some pharmacists, such as some at Muirend Pharmacy, have an additional prescribing qualification which allows them to prescribe a wider range of medicines, normally only available from your GP practice.

If the pharmacist, or a member of their team, thinks it is better for you to see your GP or another healthcare professional, they may refer you directly or tell you to make an appointment.

How do I use the service?

NHS Pharmacy First Scotland is available from all pharmacies in Scotland that dispense NHS prescriptions.

You can choose which pharmacy to use.

In most cases, you don’t have to make an appointment.

When you visit the pharmacy, the pharmacist (or one of their team) will ask you for some information, including your name, date of birth and postcode.

The pharmacist, or a member of their team, will:

• ask you about your symptoms
• give you advice on your condition
• provide medication (if you need it)
• refer you to another healthcare professional (for example, your GP) if they think this is necessary
• set up a Patient Medication Record (PMR) to make a note of any advice and treatment they give you

You can ask to use the pharmacy’s consultation area or room if you want to speak to the pharmacist in private.