As pharmacists, we’ve spent years demonstrating our value to the healthcare system; we’re accessible, clinically trained and increasingly equipped to assess and treat patients. Yet a fundamental problem remains: much of the public still doesn’t understand what pharmacists do besides dispensing prescriptions.
General practice has always been the first point of contact for most non-emergency healthcare needs, and patients are often unaware that pharmacists can now offer much more than advice about over-the-counter medicines.
But as the NHS approaches another winter of seasonal pressure, we have a responsibility to make sure patients understand the care available to them through pharmacy, and that means taking the lead in educating them ourselves.
Educating the public
Beyond supporting primary healthcare services, the benefits for patients with non-urgent lifestyle conditions are significant. Last winter, Liberal Democrats analysis of NHS figures found that an additional 300,000 patients were left waiting a month to see a GP compared with the previous year; a pharmacy-first approach could make a vital contribution to reducing that figure.
Community pharmacy has already started to establish a broader role through the Pharmacy First scheme, and the government’s expansion of pharmacist independent prescribing within NHS community pharmacy services from autumn 2026 represents another important step towards making better use of pharmacists’ clinical expertise.
But service development alone won’t deliver the full benefit; patients need to know these services exist, understand what they cover and feel confident about using them.
This is especially important for conditions that people may be reluctant to discuss or assume require a GP appointment. Women’s health concerns such as thrush, bacterial vaginosis, period pain, cystitis, urinary tract infections, acne and other common skin conditions - as well as men’s concerns such as hair loss and erectile dysfunction - illustrate where pharmacy-led services may offer an appropriate route to assessment and treatment.
Of course, the aim is not to replace GPs or encourage patients to bypass medical care when they need it. Safe pharmacy practice depends on recognising limitations, identifying red flags and referring patients for further assessment when necessary.
Right place, right time
Our role is to ensure that the right patient reaches the right professional at the right time, and the challenge we face is in communicating this distinction more effectively. Pharmacists should be explaining their services in everyday language, using their websites, patient consultations, community engagement and professional networks to demonstrate what they can offer.
We should be working with other healthcare professionals to reinforce consistent messages about appropriate routes into care, rather than leaving patients to navigate an increasingly complex system without guidance.
The same responsibility applies online. Legitimate digital pharmacy services can improve convenience and access, but concerns about unlicensed sellers have threatened public confidence. Pharmacists must make professional credentials, registration and clinical safeguards visible, helping patients distinguish regulated healthcare from websites that put safety at risk.
Ultimately, public awareness is part of delivering good pharmaceutical care. It’s not enough to develop new services if patients continue to believe that a pharmacist can only dispense a prescription issued elsewhere.
As the profession’s clinical responsibilities expand, so too must our commitment to explaining them. Winter pressures will put the healthcare system under strain, but the case for pharmacy-led care extends well beyond the winter months.
Ahsan Bhatti is superintendent pharmacist at online pharmacy Quick Meds and owner of Frankley Pharmacy in Birmingham.