Health: Pharmacy plan to take pressure off Welsh GPs

Pharmacies in Wales will become the "first port of call" for many patients to ease strain on GPs under new plans.

From April, services such as advice, flu jabs and emergency contraception will be available.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said it will free GPs to help patients with more complex needs.

She called it "the most fundamental change to the way pharmacies operate" since the inception of the NHS 70 years ago.

The shake-up comes after renegotiation of the agreement with Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW), which represents the industry.

"It will take the workload away from the GPs, making the NHS more sustainable and letting them treat the common and acute conditions," Judy Thomas of CPW told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I think the public will be quite receptive. Their response during the pandemic has been positive.

"We kept our doors open to the general public and they really appreciated it and started to see the pharmacist as a first port of call."

The agreement will allow all pharmacies to provide treatment for common minor ailments, access to repeat medicines in an emergency, annual flu vaccinations, and some forms of emergency and regular contraception.

It also includes plans to roll out a prescribing service which will allow pharmacists to treat an extended range of conditions that currently require people to visit their GP.

Funding will also be provided for dispensing robots and ATM-style prescription services.