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The challenge for independent pharmacies is how to firmly embed themselves in the minds of the public as the first port of call for health care advice and support, writes Steve Titmarsh…

People need more support and encouragement to visit their pharmacist first for minor ailments. Self-care, in particular self-treatment with OTC medicines, is seen as one way of relieving pressure on a hard-pressed NHS. 

A drive to promote more self-care and encourage people to visit their community pharmacist before accessing medical care at GP surgeries or accident and emergency departments has been seen as a way of taking pressure off health services.^1,2

A report commissioned by AESGP, the Association of the European Self-Care Industry concludes: ‘both health care professionals and consumers gain substantial benefits in terms of time spent and appointments allocated to the examination and treatment of minor ailments, thus freeing up these finite resources for more urgent or complex medical cases. If self-medication were not available, about 120,000 more physicians would be required in Europe or, alternatively, each physician would have to work 2.4 hours longer per day.’¹

Pharmacy First

Community pharmacies have been formally recognised through the Pharmacy First initiative as a first port of call for a range of illnesses, including sore throats and earache (those aged 1–17 years).

According to Community Pharmacy England nearly two million consultations were carried out under the service in its first year.³ The greatest proportion of consultations were for sore throat – 34% of the total delivered up to March 2025.⁴ Around 98% of community pharmacies signed up for Pharmacy First.³ 

A poll of a representative sample of 7,029 adults in England, of whom 3,104 had used the Pharmacy First service, found that 86 per cent had a positive experience of visiting their pharmacy for support with one of the seven common conditions covered by the scheme, according to Healthwatch.

Forty per cent of people went to their pharmacy for help with treatment for sore throat and 17 per cent wanted advice about earache. That said some people (10 per cent) were concerned about privacy and felt uncomfortable having to discuss health issues in front of other customers where private consultation areas were not available.

Awareness of the Pharmacy First service has risen, but there is still room for improvement. Nearly three in ten people (29 per cent) who said they were unlikely to use a pharmacy for the seven conditions covered by Pharmacy First were unaware pharmacies could provide treatment and advice. Almost one in three (32 per cent) of this group would still prefer to see their GP.

There are some regional differences. For example, people in London are more likely to visit their pharmacy for help with one of the common conditions (56 per cent) than those in the East of England (35 per cent). And there were reports of varying levels of public awareness of Pharmacy First, ranging from 39 per cent in Halton to 72 per cent in Stockton-on-Tees.⁴ 

People from ethnic minority backgrounds were found to be more likely than white people to visit a pharmacy for advice about symptoms (28 per cent versus 20 per cent), medicine (27 per cent versus 16 per cent) or general health and wellbeing (22 per cent versus 12 per cent).⁴ 

Lacking confidence?

The Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) says that although people embrace the idea of self-care their confidence in actually treating themselves seems to be lacking somewhat.

For example, in a survey of 4,000 adults in the UK, 84 per cent said they agreed they would choose self-care as their first option for health care. However, confidence in treating the common cold, for example, was found to have dropped from 81 per cent in 2023 to 63 per cent in 2025. Sore throat scored 41% and earache 19 per cent.⁵ 

PAGB’s research suggests health literacy may be part of the reason for people lacking confidence in treating some common ailments. So, for example, only a quarter (27 per cent) of adults with no formal education felt confident about treating a cough, compared with an average of 50 per cent of the population as a whole.⁵

PAGB CEO, Michelle Riddals, says: "Overcoming these inequalities is incredibly important to ensure that no adult is disadvantaged or left behind when it comes to their health. Increasing peoples’ confidence to self-care can narrow the gap by equipping all socioeconomic groups with the tools they need to treat themselves effectively and appropriately where possible.

"The current challenge – and also the biggest opportunity – lies with amplifying the self-care message to increase education and awareness and support people’s confidence to practice self-care for their self-treatable conditions."⁵

Professional services and OTC sales

Sales of OTC medicines were worth approximately £4 billion in 2024 and the cough, cold and sore throat category was the second largest at £681 million after pain relief medicine at £857 million.⁶

And consumers do rely on their ‘local’ pharmacy, according to business intelligence platform Statista, with 53% of a sample of 2080 people in November 2023 saying that was where they usually bought their OTC products to manage cold-related symptoms.

However, community pharmacies offer much more than just somewhere to buy medicines. That said, for community pharmacies to fully embrace their role in supporting other parts of the health service by taking on more of the clinical burden it is important to cultivate an image in the public’s mind of much more than just somewhere to go for medicines and related healthcare products.

It also poses a challenge about how to balance professional services, which are being emphasised more and more for community pharmacies, and the retail side of the business.

Deborah Evans, FFRPS FRPharmS FRSPH, founder and owner of Remedi Health, says: "As pharmacies are urged to focus more on professional services, OTC remains important – but it should be positioned as part of a wider clinical offering.

"Winter illnesses provide an opportunity to link OTC advice and treatment with private services such as flu and COVID vaccinations, sore throat test-and-treat, and respiratory infection assessments. This integrated approach both supports patient choice and reinforces the pharmacist’s clinical role.

"Community pharmacies can play a key role in preventing unnecessary GP and A&E attendances by offering accessible consultations for common winter conditions, rapid testing where appropriate, and clear care pathways.

"If patients know they can be seen quickly and safely at their pharmacy – with the option of onward referral only when needed – they are far less likely to default to their GP or emergency services.

"Public awareness requires consistent, proactive communication: in-store displays, local press, social media, and direct engagement with patient groups all help. Pharmacies should make it clear that they are not just a shop for medicines, but a healthcare destination where people can receive timely, professional, and often same-day support."

References

1. May und Bauer GbR. Self-Care in Europe: Economic and Social Impact on Individuals and Society. Project on behalf of the Association of the European Self-Care Industry (AESGP) (https://aesgp.eu/content/uploads/2023/05/2022-09-19_Self-Care-in-Europe_MayBauer_AESGP_FINAL.pdf; accessed September 2025).

2. Joined Up Care Derbyshire Pharmacy First helps tens of thousands of people get better in Derbyshire (https://joinedupcarederbyshire.co.uk/news/pharmacy-first-helps-tens-of-thousands-of-people-get-better-in-derbyshire; accessed September 2025).

3. Community Pharmacy England. Reflections on Pharmacy First: one year on (https://cpe.org.uk/our-news/reflections-on-pharmacy-first-one-year-on; accessed September 2025).

4. Healthwatch. One year on: how is Pharmacy First working for patients? (www.healthwatch.co.uk/report/2025-06-30/one-year-how-pharmacy-first-working-patients; accessed September 2025).

5. Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB). The Self-Care Census 2025: Exploring consumer trends in self-treatable conditions and self-care practices (www.pagb.co.uk/content/uploads/2025/07/PAGB-Self-Care-Census-Report-2025.pdf; accessed September 22025).

6. Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB). PAGB Highlights 2024 (www.pagb.co.uk/content/uploads/2025/03/PAGB_Highlights_2024_WEB.pdf; accessed September 2025).