People with eight conditions urged to stay away from GP and use Tesco instead
Patients with eight conditions have been urged to stay away from NHS surgeries and visit Tesco instead. The NHS has introduced the Pharmacy First Service which stablishes community pharmacists as a first port of call for advice and treatment for common infections.
It can help you get the right care in the right place, without having to go to the GP or local A&E (accident and emergency) department for non-urgent treatment. Community pharmacists can supply a specific range of prescription and over-the-counter medicines for these common infections, including antibiotics (where clinically appropriate), creams, nasal sprays, ear drops, and antivirals (for shingles, where clinically appropriate).
You can be referred to the service by a healthcare professional (for example NHS 111 or GP surgery). You can also refer yourself for advice and treatment for the 7 common infections listed above. Come in-store and talk to one of the Tesco pharmacists. All pharmacist consultations will be confidential and take place in one of a private consultation rooms.
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The consultation should take around 20 minutes. Tesco will help treat shingles, soar throats, bites, earache, stings, urinary infections, sinusitis and impetigo. Impetigo is a skin infection that's very contagious but not usually serious. It often gets better in 7–10 days, if you get treatment.
Anyone can get impetigo, but it's very common in young children. It starts with red sores or blisters, which quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches. You can now get advice and NHS treatment for impetigo from a Tesco Pharmacist without having to see a GP. The NHS Pharmacy First impetigo service is available to people aged 1 year and over.
You can now get advice and NHS treatment for UTIs from a Tesco Pharmacist without having to see a GP. The NHS Pharmacy First UTI service is available to women aged 16–64 with a suspected uncomplicated UTI.