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A report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) released today calls on Labour to expand Pharmacy First by adding acute headaches and migraine to its list of conditions.

The report, which the CCA revealed was funded by Pfizer Ltd and is “non-promotional”, said a 313 per cent increase in A&E attendances for headaches in England in the last six years and huge financial cost to the NHS meant the Government must commission community pharmacies to provide care.

The CCA said up to 1.25 million people with acute headaches and migraines could be supported in community pharmacies. “This would give people faster access to effective treatment, helping them to return to work quicker, whilst also easing pressures on GPs and hospitals,” it said.

Insisting headaches have “a substantial impact on both direct costs to the NHS and wider economic losses”, the CCA also said NHS data showed 2.5 million primary care appointments each year in England “are linked to headaches” and of those, 100,000 are referred to hospital.

“In 2020, the total direct costs to the NHS for the treatment of all headaches was £250 million and migraines alone are estimated to cost £12 billion to the wider economy,” in lost productivity and tax revenue, the report said.

“Migraines affect 14 per cent of the population and headaches are now the second leading cause of disability,” it added. The report said although patients can access several treatments for tension headaches from pharmacies, their options for treating migraines were “limited” since those usually needed prescription-only medicines following a GP consultation.

The CCA said Pharmacy First would give patients greater scope to treat migraines because the scheme uses patient group directions (PGDs) allowing pharmacists to provide prescription-only medicines without a prescription or input from a GP.

However, CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said “any new activity” in community pharmacy “to relieve pressure elsewhere in the NHS will need new funding”.

“The current model of support for patients with headaches is placing a huge and growing burden on the NHS, with many patients unable to access timely treatment,” he said.

“Headaches are the cause of millions of NHS appointments every year and have contributed to sharp increases in A&E attendances. Pharmacists are ready and willing to ease that pressure by supporting up to 1.25 million patients annually through the Pharmacy First service.

“With adequate funding, expanding the Pharmacy First service to include acute headaches and migraines would deliver faster, more accessible care for patients. This would help patients get back to their daily lives quicker, while also relieving pressure on the NHS.”

NPA: Pharmacies still face considerable funding pressures which need resolving 

The National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg said the report highlighted “the huge potential pharmacies can play in providing treatment for a wider range of common minor ailments including migraines”.

However, he cautioned “pharmacies still face considerable funding pressures which need resolving and investment in them is key if the government are to shift care to people’s doorsteps”.

Gregg added: “In England, pharmacists can only treat seven conditions but in Scotland, it is 27. The government has a once in a generation opportunity to turbo-charge the role of community pharmacy, who have a vital part to play in creating a redesigned neighbourhood health service.

“Expanding the number of ailments pharmacists can treat through Pharmacy First will not only end the 8AM scramble for a GP appointment but also deliver better, more convenient care for patients close to home.”