Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
A trial scheme which authorises specially trained pharmacists to prescribe NHS medicines directly to patients for a range of additional illnesses, is to be extended at three Nottinghamshire pharmacies by a further 12 months.
This means that patients can continue to receive NHS treatments for on the day illness, including chest infections, ear infections for adults and children (aged one and over), oral thrush and skin infections, plus many others without needing to see their GP. The participating sites are:
The Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme started out as a national pilot funded by NHS England, which ended on 31 December last year.
However, due to the success of the scheme and to help alleviate winter pressures, NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB helped fund an extension up to 31 March this year. And now the pilot has been extended again, until 31 March 2027, as part of a regional scheme at pharmacies across Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
The new funding for 2026/27 covers 30 NHS consultations per month at each pharmacy and will offer more than 1,000 appointments for patients in Nottinghamshire.
Dr Dave Briggs, Executive Director of Outcomes, NHS Derby and Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICBs, said: “Community Pharmacy is playing an increasingly important role as a front door to the NHS, utilising the skills of our brilliant pharmacists to deliver patient-centred care much more effectively.
“The ability to prescribe for additional conditions, in addition to the hugely successful Pharmacy First service available at nearly all our community pharmacies, makes treatment more accessible to the public and allows GPs more time to focus on patients with more serious, persistent illnesses.
“Providing greater access to primary care in convenient high street locations is central to the vision of the NHS 10 year plan’s aim to move care from hospital to community.”
In 2025, participating Nottinghamshire pharmacies provided more than 1,100 Independent Prescriber consultations. And in a small patient survey, the service was rated as 5 out of 5 by 97% of patients.
The Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme is in addition to the Pharmacy First scheme, which is widely available at community pharmacies across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Pharmacy First can provide NHS treatments for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP (some age restrictions apply).
More information about pharmacy first and the wide range of NHS services available from pharmacies.
