Appointments

Pharmacy First

Get faster, easier care for common conditions

Did you know your local pharmacy can now do much more than just dispense prescriptions? Thanks to the NHS Pharmacy First service, your community pharmacist can now offer expert advice and even provide prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions, without you needing a GP appointment!

This fantastic new service is designed to make it quicker and more convenient for you to get the care you need, while also helping to free up valuable GP appointments for those with more complex health needs.

Why choose Pharmacy First?

• Faster Access: No need to wait for a GP appointment. You can often walk into your local pharmacy and get a consultation on the spot, or with a very short wait.

• Convenient Locations: Pharmacies are usually close to home, with many offering longer opening hours, including evenings and weekends.

• Expert Advice: Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals. They can assess your symptoms, provide advice, and recommend the best course of action.

• Prescription Medicines: For the seven common conditions, pharmacists can now supply prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics and antivirals, if clinically appropriate.

• Free Consultation: The consultation with the pharmacist is free of charge. Normal prescription charges apply for any medication supplied, unless you are exempt.

• Integrated Care: Your pharmacist will update your GP record, ensuring your care is joined up.

What conditions can your pharmacist help with under Pharmacy First?

If you're experiencing symptoms of any of these conditions, your pharmacist can help:

• Sinusitis (for patients aged 12 years and over)

• Sore Throat (aged 5 years and over)

• Earache (aged 1 to 17 years)

• Infected Insect Bites (aged 1 year and over)

• Impetigo (a bacterial skin infection, aged 1 year and over)

• Shingles (aged 18 years and over)

• Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in women (aged 16 to 64 years)

How to access Pharmacy First

• Walk-in: Simply visit your local participating pharmacy and ask for a private consultation with the pharmacist.

• GP Referral: Your GP practice or NHS 111 may also refer you to a pharmacy if they believe it's the most appropriate place for your care.

Don't wait for minor health concerns to get worse – think pharmacy first and get seen by your local community pharmacy team today!

To find a local pharmacy offering this service, you can visit the NHS website or simply ask your usual pharmacy.

Other alternatives to a GP appointment

Many problems can be managed without a GP appointment:

• For visual problems and many eye conditions, see your local optician

• For dental and oral health problems, see your local dentist or call Manchester Dental helpine on 0161 476 9649 8am-6pm Monday to Friday and out-of-hours on 0161 337 2246

• Self‑care and trusted NHS information: try NHS Health A to Z and Medicines A to Z.

Nursing team appointments

If you have received a text message advising you to book in for your annual review, this is a genuine text message from Ladybarn Group Practice. You have received this text message as your records show you have one or more of the following health conditions:

• Asthma

• Atrial fibrillation

• Coronary heart disease (CHD)

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Dementia

• Diabetes

• Epilepsy

• Heart failure

• Hypertension

• Mental health conditions

• Pre-diabetes (also known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia)

• History of stroke or TIA

• CKD

Due to this health condition(s), you will be called around your birth month for a review with one of our clinicians. This review is important as it allows us to monitor your condition and general heath, as well as seeing if there is anything we can do to help you.

If you are unaware of which of these conditions you have, the receptionist when you call, or the clinician you speak to will be able to advise you.

You may have been called at a different time of year to when you normally come for your reviews. This is because we have streamlined our invite process to reduce the number of times you need to come in. If you have multiple conditions, we will now try to review these in one appointment, rather than several.

Please contact the surgery to arrange your appointment.

Referral checking

You do not to contact us for updates on referrals. There is an NHS Care Gateway service for this. If you need an update on your referral, please call the referral gateway on 0161 947 0770.