Pharmacy First broadens reach as London logs 341,000 cases
London’s community pharmacies recorded more than 341,000 pathway consultations for earache, sore throat and sinusitis since February 2024, with NHS England’s London region attributing a material share of avoided GP appointments and NHS 111 calls to the scheme over the same window, indicating an access shift into high-street care.
Breaking out the counts, the London region reports over 43,800 earache cases, more than 232,000 sore throats and over 65,000 sinusitis presentations managed in pharmacies since February 2024, and estimates that around 10% of these consultations would otherwise have gone to NHS 111 while nearly 40% would have been added to GP waiting lists, concentrating the productivity gain in primary care pathways.
The national picture underpins that trend: NHS Business Services Authority claims data show Pharmacy First activity in England reached 254,692 consultations in June 2025, up from 125,275 in February 2024, a rise that supports the London region’s expansion by signalling growing use of the seven clinical pathways across settings.
An equity angle sits alongside access: NHS England updated the Accessible Information Standard in July 2025 by adding a sixth “review” step and requiring each region to nominate a lead for implementation, a change that should improve translation and communication support in London pharmacies as volumes grow, particularly for patients who do not speak English well or need alternative formats.
Taken together, the rates and counts point to measurable impact: more than 341,000 London pathway consultations since February 2024, diversion estimates of roughly one in ten away from NHS 111 and nearly two in five away from GP lists, and a national monthly claims rate that doubled between February and June 2025.
Figures are drawn from NHS England (London region release, 5 November 2025, covering activity since February 2024), NHS Business Services Authority Pharmacy First claims (June 2025 compared with February 2024), and NHS England’s Accessible Information Standard update (14 July 2025, national policy applying in London).
