Pharmacy First lets a pharmacist assess and, where appropriate, supply treatment for seven conditions without you seeing a GP first. It is free on the NHS, and you do not need an appointment.
The seven are sore throat, earache in children aged 1 to 17, sinusitis, urinary tract infection in women aged 16 to 64, infected insect bites, shingles, and impetigo. If your symptoms fit one of those, walking into Sandwell Pharmacy is usually faster than waiting for a GP slot.
You will be taken into the consultation room — this is not a conversation over the counter. The pharmacist works through the same clinical pathway a GP would use for that condition, including the red flags that mean you need to be seen elsewhere. If you meet the criteria, you leave with treatment. If you do not, you are told what to do instead, and often referred straight on.
Nothing formal. Your date of birth and your GP surgery name help, and if you are on regular medicines it is worth knowing what they are. Bring the child with you for earache — the ear has to be looked at.
Sandwell Pharmacy is at 85 Church Vale, West Bromwich B71 4DH. Call 0121 588 7678 if you want to check the pharmacist is free before setting off, particularly late in the day.
Pharmacy First runs at every branch in the group:
Go to a GP or urgent care instead if you have chest pain, breathing difficulty, a stiff neck with a rash, confusion, or a temperature that will not come down in a young baby. The pharmacist will tell you the same thing, but you will have lost time getting there.
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