Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the proportion of pharmacists who supply prescription-only medicines without a GP appointment for (a) sinusitis, (b) sore throat, (c) earache, (d) infected insect bite, (e) impetigo, (f) shingles, and (g) uncomplicated urinary tract infections.

No data is collected on prescription-only medicines supplied privately for these conditions by community pharmacists. There are a small number of local National Health Service schemes that allow for the supply by community pharmacists of prescription-only medicines for some of these conditions, but data is not collected centrally. From early next year, the Pharmacy First service, enabling all community pharmacists to supply prescription-only medicines for the seven common conditions listed, will be nationally commissioned by the NHS. Community pharmacies have been able to register to deliver the service since 1 December and more than half have already done so.