{"id":217496,"date":"2025-10-22T09:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/217496\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T09:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T09:05:09","slug":"seven-illnesses-you-can-get-a-prescription-for-without-seeing-a-gp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/217496\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven illnesses you can get a prescription for without seeing a GP"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHS has shared a list of seven common health conditions that you can get a prescription for without seeing a GP – and it’s important to note the age range for each<\/p>\n

Kieran Isgin Money & Lifestyle writer<\/p>\n

06:35, 22 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"ShotPharmacies can provide a range of extra help(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Though it might seem natural to book a GP appointment<\/a> when you’re feeling unwell, you could find yourself facing lengthy delays, particularly if your local clinic is busy and same-day appointments aren’t available. However, the NHS is highlighting that patients can actually obtain prescriptions for numerous everyday conditions <\/a>without ever setting foot in a doctor’s surgery.<\/p>\n

Pharmacies throughout the UK are equipped to offer guidance on countless illnesses and medications, including addressing any worries about adverse reactions. They’re also empowered to direct you towards a GP or alternative healthcare professional <\/a>should they be unable to assist you directly.<\/p>\n

Additionally, they can supply prescription medications for certain ailments without requiring you to visit a GP or even arrange an appointment. NHS guidance explains that this service is called Pharmacy First and specifically encompasses seven particular conditions.<\/p>\n

\"YoungPharmacists can help with seven common conditions(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Taking to X, NHS UK posted: “Your pharmacist can provide treatment or some prescription medicine, if needed, for seven common conditions – without you seeing a GP. Think pharmacy first and get seen by your local community pharmacy team.”<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consentSeven conditions where you can see a pharmacist for help<\/p>\n

Pharmacists are authorised to dispense prescription treatments for numerous health issues. Nevertheless, specific age criteria must be met to qualify for medication for each of the following conditions:<\/p>\n

Sore throat (aged 5 years and over)Urinary tract infections (UTIs) (women aged 16 to 64 years)Infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)Impetigo (aged 1 year and over)Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)Earache (aged 1 to 17 years)Shingles (aged 18 years and over)<\/p>\n

Even if you don’t meet the age criteria for prescription medication for these conditions, a pharmacist can still offer advice, treatment, or a referral if they deem it necessary. The NHS advises that while most pharmacies can provide prescription medicines for the aforementioned conditions, it’s best to ring them first to confirm.<\/p>\n

\"RearviewWoman at pharmacy(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Certain pharmacies also offer the contraceptive pill free of charge and without a prescription. However, if your local pharmacy doesn’t provide this service, you can still purchase the emergency contraceptive pill from most pharmacies if you’re aged 16 or over, or the progesterone-only pill if you’re aged 18 or over.<\/p>\n

Further details around the services you may be able to receive from your local pharmacy can be found on the NHS website here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHS has shared a list of seven common health conditions that you can get a prescription for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[2505,102,2960,10269,104,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-217496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-drugs","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-medicines","12":"tag-nhs","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}