Guides
Plain-English answers about using your local pharmacy.
- Pharmacy First: what a pharmacist can treat without a GP appointmentWhich conditions pharmacists in England can treat under Pharmacy First, who qualifies, and how the service is expanding from autumn 2026.
- Pharmacy services in Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandHow NHS Pharmacy First Scotland, the Clinical Community Pharmacy Service in Wales and Pharmacy First in Northern Ireland work — and why prescriptions are free.
- Run out of your prescription medicine? How to get an emergency supplyWhat to do if you run out of a regular prescription medicine when your GP surgery is closed, including emergency supply from a pharmacy and NHS 111.
- Pharmacies open on bank holidays, Christmas and New YearHow to find a pharmacy open on a bank holiday, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day in the UK, and why normal opening hours often don’t apply.
- Late-night and 100-hour pharmacies explainedWhat a 100-hour pharmacy is, why fewer pharmacies now open late, and how to find a pharmacy open in the evening or overnight.
- Electronic prescriptions and choosing a nominated pharmacyHow electronic prescriptions work, how to nominate a pharmacy in England, and how to change your nominated pharmacy.