CPS Manifesto 2026 – Treat

Published: 04/12/25

At Community Pharmacy Scotland, we are committed to ensuring that every person in Scotland can access timely, expert care through their local pharmacy. The “Treat” section of our 2026 Manifesto sets out our ambition to expand consultations for minor and complex conditions, secure an independent prescriber in every pharmacy, and enhance women’s health services. These steps will relieve pressure on GPs and emergency departments while improving patient outcomes and access to care.

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The community pharmacy network in Scotland already offers up consultations for minor illnesses, usually without the need for an appointment, across all 1,200+ sites as part of the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service. Over a third of these pharmacies now have a pharmacist prescriber with additional clinical skills training available for part of the week who can consult on more complex cases. This relieves pressure on other parts of primary care such as GP practices and Emergency Departments, and we have seen a significant and sustained increase in demand for consultations since the service launched in 2020. 

We are committed to our aims of having an independent prescriber available in every pharmacy across Scotland and expanding the conditions that can be consulted on even when there is not a prescriber available. This will require additional resource to achieve, particularly in the context of increasing demand putting pressure on the limited pool of currently available funding. 

Another area which we aspire to build upon is our women’s health offering. Free emergency contraception is a long-standing success story for community pharmacy in Scotland. More recently, our pharmacy teams were commissioned to provide an NHS ’bridging’ contraceptive service which can supply women with an effective regular oral contraceptive option for up to 6 months without the need for an appointment or a prescription. More can be done to improve women’s access to treatment options relevant to their needs - from period delay, contraception and preconception right through to menopause and beyond.  

Securing adequate funding to grow these services and improve access to advice, support and treatment where necessary is one of our key Manifesto aims – we look forward to engaging with others to make this a reality. 

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