A sore throat makes swallowing painful and often comes with redness, swollen glands and a hoarse voice. Most clear up within a week, but some need treatment.
We assess your throat using the NHS FeverPAIN score and can supply antibiotics on the NHS where they are clinically appropriate.
Available free on the NHS for anyone aged 5 or over. Use our one-minute eligibility checker and our pharmacist will be in touch to arrange your consultation — or just walk in.
What it is, what to look out for, and what actually helps — from the pharmacists who treat it every day.
A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that is usually worse when you swallow. The vast majority are caused by viruses — the same ones behind colds and flu — and clear up on their own within about a week. A smaller number are bacterial, most often streptococcus, and these are the ones that can benefit from antibiotics.
Telling the two apart is exactly what our pharmacists are trained to do. Under Pharmacy First we assess your throat using the NHS FeverPAIN score — looking at fever, pus on the tonsils, how quickly it came on and how inflamed things are — and can supply NHS treatment, including antibiotics where clinically appropriate, without you needing a GP appointment.
Written by our pharmacy team — practical detail on treatment, timing and when to get help.
Sore Throat is covered by the NHS Minor Ailments Scheme. If you are exempt from prescription charges and registered with a Black Country GP, our pharmacist can supply the medicine free of charge — no GP appointment needed.
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