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Pharmacy First is an NHS initiative that makes it easy for you to get healthcare advice and treatment for common conditions through your local pharmacy. No need for a GP appointment or prescription for issues like:
Sinusitis
Sore throats
Earaches
Infected insect bites
Impetigo
Shingles
Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women
How Can Pharmacy First Help?
Pharmacy First provides prompt treatment and advice for these common conditions. Pharmacists might offer over-the-counter or prescription medications based on your needs, and all consultations are private. You can also be referred by NHS services like NHS 111 or your GP.
Additional Support from Pharmacies
Minor Ailments: Pharmacists can help with a variety of everyday health issues such as colds, flu, aches, pains, rashes, and cystitis. They can also assist with emergency contraception, pregnancy tests, and needle exchange services. No appointment is needed, and they will refer you to a doctor if necessary.
Medication Advice: Pharmacists are experts in safely using medicines. If you have questions about your prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs, they can provide guidance. For new long-term medications, the New Medicine Service offers ongoing support. If you take multiple medicines, the Medicines Use Review (MUR) can help ensure you’re using them correctly.
Repeat Prescriptions: Pharmacists can manage your repeat prescriptions, saving you a visit to the GP if your condition is stable. If any issues arise with your medication, your pharmacist can consult with your GP on your behalf.
Healthy Living Advice: Pharmacies can support your overall health by offering advice on diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. They provide nicotine replacement therapies and regular check-ins to help you quit smoking and stay healthy.
Pharmacy First is here to make getting the care you need simpler and faster.
Self-Refer to Physiotherapy
You can self-refer to NHS Physiotherapy services without needing to see a GP first. Click here for more information on this service.
Self-Refer to Talking Therapies (Mental Health Support)
You can refer yourself to Talking Therapies without needing a GP referral. To do this, click here or call their referral centre on 02476 671090 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4.30pm). The service helps adults 16 years old and over across the Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull area with symptoms of:
Anxiety
Depression
Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD)
Sleep problems
Obsessions and compulsions
Panic attacks
Postnatal depression
For more information about Talking Therapies click here.
NHS Talking Therapies is not an emergency service, so if you feel you are deteriorating or having thoughts of suicide, call 111 and select the mental health option. It is important you keep yourself safe and get some help.
Self-Refer to Myton Hospice Compassionate Community Programme
This service is for those living with a life-limiting illness and their carers. The Myton Hospice Compassionate Community programme is here to help people feel less alone by offering opportunities to connect with others, build supportive relationships, and discover practical and emotional support that can make a real difference every day. For more information and to self-refer, click here.
Online Consultation
Our Online Consultation service will let you request GP appointments, advice, treatment, sick notes, GP letters, recent test results and more. Fill out a quick online form and we will respond to your request the same working day. Please note that GP appointments may be assessed as requiring a same-day appointment, but may also be assessed as routine to be booked within four weeks.
For help on how to submit a request, please watch the video below:
Call the Practice
Submitting your GP appointment request online is preferable as this frees up the phone line for those who need extra assistance. If you have access to the internet, you may be asked to submit your own request.
If you are unable to use the internet for any reason, or require an urgent GP appointment, then appointments can be booked by calling the practice. Routine GP appointment requests should be submitted before 11am. Outside working hours please call NHS 111.
Save the call to the surgery and make the best use of pharmacy and online consultations, if your concern is of a non-urgent nature.
Telephone: 01926 492311
For nurse appointments, please call the Practice. For non-urgent issues, please follow the guidelines below and choose the right service, which can help you without any appointment. This will help us in being more efficient and making an appointment available to you when you need it the most.
For non-urgent GP appointment requests, please aim to submit an online consultation (Accurx) by 11am. Non-urgent (routine) GP appointment requests can be submitted between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
If you are unable to use the internet for any reason, or you require a clinically urgent GP appointment after 11am, please call us on 01926 492311.
All requests are reviewed (triaged) by a GP, and we will be in touch with you on the same working day with the appropriate next steps. This may be to refer you to another service (such as a pharmacy), or to book you in for an appointment with the appropriate clinician. The appointment may be on the same-day, within three days or within four weeks depending on the clinical urgency.
You may request a suitably trained chaperone for any procedure, test or examination. Please note that both male and female clinical team members work within the practice. If you have a preference, please ensure you discuss this when you book your appointment.
Appointments are available throughout the day during our opening hours. Please select one of the below appointment types, to get the best suited help on time.
Urgent Appointments
These appointments are available to patients with a new illness or condition that has arisen in the last few days and that requires urgent medical attention before the next available routine appointment.
If submitting a request after 11am, please phone the Practice and our reception team will take the details which will be triaged by a GP and actioned accordingly.
Save the call to the surgery and make the best use of pharmacy and online consultations, if your concern is of a non-urgent nature.
Telephone: 01926 492311
Cancelling your appointment
Please make every effort to keep your appointment. If you are unable to make it, please cancel it as soon as possible, using one of the methods below, so that it can be reallocated to another patient in need. Your help will avoid a significant waste of NHS resources and is much appreciated.
Alternatively, you can follow the instructions on your appointment reminder text and reply, to cancel an appointment.
Please note that if an appointment is cancelled with less than two hours’ notice, this will be treated as a non-attendance. We operate a “did not attend” policy, and the non-attendance of three or more appointments within a 12 month period may result in your removal from the Practice.
Pre-bookable face to face and telephone appointments in the evenings and weekends are available through Enhanced Access at Avonside Health Centre. No walk-in patients will be accepted. These appointments are available on the following days:
Saturday 18th April 8.30 to 11.30 (GP and Nurse)
Saturday 25th April 8.30 to 11.30 (GP and Nurse)
Saturday 9th May 8.30 to 11.30 (GP and Nurse)
Saturday 16th May 8.30 to 11.30 (GP and Nurse)
Evening GP Telephone appointments are available on the following days:
Monday 13th April
Monday 20th April
Tuesday 21st April
Monday 27th April
Home Visits
Home visits are made in emergencies or when the patient is too unwell to attend the Practice.
Whenever possible please try to request home visits before 11am. A doctor may telephone you to assess your problem in more detail or to plan the urgency of your visit.
Please remember several patients can be seen in the Practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the surgery.
