Sore throat treatment, Pharmacy First | Reliance Pharmacy group

Pharmacy First - Sore throat

Sore throat: when a pharmacist can treat it under NHS Pharmacy First

Most sore throats do not need antibiotics

Nine out of ten sore throats are caused by viruses and get better on their own within a week. A small number are bacterial and benefit from antibiotics. The NHS Pharmacy First service lets our pharmacist tell the difference using a scoring system called FeverPAIN, so you get the right treatment without a GP appointment.

Who can use it

Anyone aged 5 and over. The pharmacist will refer you elsewhere if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, are drooling, have a muffled voice, a very stiff neck, or are severely unwell. Those signs need urgent care, not a pharmacy.

What happens in the pharmacy

In our consultation room the pharmacist looks at your throat with a torch, checks for a temperature, swollen glands and pus on the tonsils, and asks how long you have had it and whether you have a cough. That produces a score. A low score means self care: pain relief, fluids and rest. A high score means antibiotics can be supplied there and then under NHS rules. The consultation is free; the usual prescription charge applies to any antibiotic unless you are exempt.

Getting better

Paracetamol or ibuprofen, warm drinks and medicated lozenges all help. If you are not improving after three to five days, or you get worse, come back and we will look again.

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Book online at reliancepharmacy.co.uk or ask in any Reliance Pharmacy branch.

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