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Thirty-six per cent of the Scottish population used Pharmacy First at least once in the year to April 1, newly published statistics reveal.

The 1.97 million people using Pharmacy First Scotland in 2025-26 represented a 59 per cent increase on the 1.24 million users recorded in 2021-22, according to a report from Public Health Scotland (PHS).

“This increase is seen in both males and females, all age groups and deprivation,” said PHS, adding that 60 per cent of service users were female and that 81 per cent of users received an item at least once, with others receiving advice or a referral to another provider.

The highest rate of use was observed among children aged up to nine years, as in previous years, with 520 in every 1,000 in this group accessing the service.

People living in more deprived areas were around a fifth more likely to use Pharmacy First, with 408 per 1,000 population in the most deprived areas accessing the service compared to 336 per 1,000 in the least deprived areas.

Meanwhile, 11 per cent of the Scottish population received an urgent medicine supply through the Community Pharmacy Unscheduled Supply (CPUS) initiative, 26 per cent higher than in 2021-22.

Fifty-eight per cent of people accessing CPUS were female, and use of the urgent supply scheme was higher in older age groups, with 55 per cent of people accessing CPUS at least once in the 50-79 age group.

PHS revealed in September that total remuneration for Pharmacy First Scotland was £36.39m in 2025-26, and that the Gross Ingredient Cost for the service represented 1.2 per cent of the total Gross Ingredient Cost that year.

There were 5.7 million claims from contractors for delivering the service, a three per cent rise on the previous year.

Commenting on the PHS statistics, Community Pharmacy Scotland said: “Community pharmacies are truly playing a major and essential role in primary care health, supporting patients to access care for acute self-limiting conditions, close to where they work and live, and freeing up time for other healthcare professionals, for example GPs, to focus on more complex care.

“What must be recognised is the increased demand on the service. Whilst NHS Pharmacy First supports other parts of the healthcare system by keeping care as close to home as possible, for the sector to continue to carry out this role it must be invested in over the long term.

“This is particularly the case as we grow capability. Over half of Scotland's 1,250-plus pharmacies now host an active independent prescriber with additional clinical skills training, ensuring that more consultations can be completed in the pharmacy setting, and improving the quality of clinical handover for those which require the input of another service."