What is the Pharmacy First scheme? 

Pharmacy First is an NHS England service launched in January 2024 that allows people to get care for certain common conditions from qualified pharmacists, meaning they can walk into a high street pharmacy at a time that fits with their everyday schedule rather than having to book an appointment with a GP in order to get treatment. 

The care provided by pharmacists may include self-care advice, over-the-counter medicines, prescription medicines, or referral to another NHS service. 

What does this mean for people with migraine? 

Today, migraine, alongside four other health conditions, was added to the NHS England Pharmacy First scheme, making it easier to access to care and treatment from healthcare professional.

Our recent report, The cost of waiting: How the migraine treatment gap is failing patients, highlighted that 29% of people hadn’t been able to access a GP appointment when they needed to, resulting in delays and difficulties accessing the care they need. 

The change to add migraine to the Pharmacy First initiative will make migraine care easier to access closer to home and help people receive timely support. It also builds on the role of community pharmacy in providing NHS care for common conditions and directing people to further help when needed. 

The addition of migraine to the Pharmacy First scheme will be rolled out gradually, starting with a limited number of pharmacies.  

A significant change in health policy 

The addition of migraine to the Pharmacy First scheme marks a significant health policy win for The Migraine Trust. 

Following the success of a project in Scotland that sought to prove the benefits of an extended support role among community pharmacies, we have been calling for community pharmacies to play a greater role in migraine care. 

Adding migraine to Pharmacy First will provide an opportunity to help people living with migraine to access earlier advice, appropriate treatment and referral when needed. Migraine is often misunderstood and many people struggle to get timely support, so recognising pharmacy as an important part of the migraine care pathway is a welcome and significant step forward.

Rob Music, Chief Executive, The Migraine Trust, said: 

“Today’s announcement that migraine will be added to NHS England’s Pharmacy First scheme is a huge step toward more timely access to care closer to home, which we know makes a big difference for people living with migraine. Building on the work that The Migraine Trust has undertaken in Scotland, it’s clear that local pharmacies can offer a wealth of healthcare expertise as well as an additional, much-needed route to support within primary care.” 

Mark Burdon, Community Pharmacist and Trustee of The Migraine Trust said:

“Adding migraine to the Pharmacy First service is a welcome development for both patients and healthcare professionals. Community pharmacists are well placed to support people experiencing acute migraine with timely advice, treatment, and onward referral where necessary. This will help people to access support quickly and conveniently, close to where they live or work.”

Niran Nirmalananthan, National Clinical Director for Neurology said:

“Expanding Pharmacy First to include migraine will significantly improve timely access to care. Being able to attend a participating community pharmacy for earlier diagnosis, lifestyle advice and acute treatment will give people faster support and strengthen how we help people manage their migraine across the NHS.”

You can read more about the Pharmacy First scheme here.