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Ask the Pharmacist: New rules mean you can skip the GP for these eight common conditions
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In our new monthly Ask the Pharmacist column, we speak to Boots Director of Pharmacy, Caoimhe McAuley, on the game-changing Common Conditions Service.
Welcome to the first edition of Ask the Pharmacist, brought to you by IMAGE and Boots. This month, we’re discussing a major change coming to community pharmacies that will redefine how we access healthcare in Ireland: the launch of the new Common Conditions Service.
To break down what this means for you and your family, we sat down with Caoimhe McAuley, Director of Pharmacy and Superintendent Pharmacist at Boots, to discuss how this will improve access to community healthcare, save you time, minimise the stress of common illnesses and cement your local pharmacist as a first-line healthcare provider.
In a nutshell, what is the new pharmacy agreement all about?
What’s really exciting about the outcomes of the new pharmacy agreement is that it not only recognises pharmacists as the experts in medicines, which of course is our core function, but it actually increases access to services that our customers can avail of in the pharmacy.
Over the next few months, you’re going to be able to access services that are quite different from what you would have been able to get before. Some of those are services you would have gone to your GP for — we call those Common Conditions — and then there will be other services that will roll out, linked to public health screening, such as bowel screening. These changes will genuinely increase your access to care at a time that’s convenient for you.
What specific common conditions can pharmacists now treat and prescribe for, that previously required a GP visit?
This is the most exciting part! From December 8, you will be able to access treatment from your Boots pharmacist for eight common clinical conditions:
- Allergic Rhinitis (hayfever)
- Cold Sores
- Conjunctivitis
- Impetigo
- Oral Thrush
- Shingles
- Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Vulvovaginal Thrush
You can either walk in at a time that suits you or make an appointment. We will have a structured consultation with you to assess what treatment is appropriate, and that may (or may not) result in a prescription-only medicine that you previously would have had to go to your GP for.
If a patient suspects they have one of these common conditions, should the pharmacy now be their first stop?
Absolutely, always come in and speak to your Boots pharmacist. We’re here to help you and we can advise you on most of your health concerns.
My advice is that the pharmacist and then your GP can be your simple two-step process. In terms of these eight conditions, you can choose to walk into your local Boots pharmacy the same day for an assessment or you can choose to book online. We will then refer you accordingly.
However, there are specific red flag symptoms, which can be found on the HSE website, that if you present with, we would say you go straight to your GP or to A&E as your first step.
Why are Boots pharmacies a logical and efficient first port of call for people seeking treatment?
In the current healthcare landscape, we know that getting a timely GP appointment can be incredibly difficult, often resulting in long wait times just for minor, yet urgent, issues. This is where your local Boots pharmacy becomes the logical and efficient first port of call.
You can often walk in for an assessment on the same day or book easily online. This means you get clinical advice and, if appropriate, treatment much faster. Pharmacists are highly accessible, expert healthcare professionals. By making the pharmacy the first step for these common conditions, we are saving you valuable time and ensuring quicker relief, while also helping to alleviate pressure on GP services.
What extra training or qualification is required for a pharmacist to become a prescriber under this new service?
Boots pharmacists are already experts in medicines, and you, as patients, talk to us about these common conditions every single day.
What is unique about this new service is that until now we would have had to finish the conversation and direct you to your GP for treatment that we knew you needed. Now we are able to actually have that conversation with you from end to end and, if appropriate, provide you with the prescription-only medicine too.
To deliver this service, our pharmacists will undertake specific training and that is actually happening in our pharmacies right now. Our people are highly trained, highly knowledgeable, and continue to upskill in their own knowledge to be able to provide the best service for you.
You can often walk in for an assessment on the same day or book easily online. This means you get clinical advice and, if appropriate, treatment much faster.
It sounds like this will impact people across generations and make family healthcare easier for people. What do you think?
It absolutely does! Better access benefits everyone. Not only does this reduce the pressure on busy GP practices, but it’s about convenience for all women, busy mums and older adults.
For example, we know the hassle that conditions like conjunctivitis cause families, slotting in stressful appointments around work and school schedules. This new service ensures that relief and treatment for common but disruptive issues like that will be readily catered for at your local Boots pharmacy. While some of these conditions, like Allergic Rhinitis aka hay fever, might be far from the minds of many right now in winter, they impact people across generations in warmed months, as do conditions like Oral Thrush and Uncomplicated UTIs. The ability to access treatment quickly and locally for the whole family is a huge step forward.
The common conditions service is just the start. The exciting piece is that more and more services will be coming into your local pharmacy over the next year or so. We anticipate things like continuation or extension of your contraception prescription and being able to avail of many more vaccines from your local pharmacy without a GP prescription. We know that’s what our patients want, and we anticipate those eight common conditions will continue to expand.
When can people expect to be able to access this new service at their local Boots pharmacy?
I am really excited to say that our pharmacists are currently undergoing the required training, and it is our expectation that in Boots we will roll this service out this month, from December 8, 2025.
Other community pharmacies may roll out at different times and all that have signed up have to provide it by the end of March 2026. I’m really, really proud that at Boots pharmacies nationwide, we will be able to provide this service early in December, which is when we all know the rush, the chaos and the access to care becomes really, really important.
Boots pharmacy is the first stop for busy women seeking healthcare advice and solutions. Whether presenting with a nagging minor condition that won’t clear; seeking a seasonal solution, pre-travel preparation or vital health screening, Boots offers compassionate experts and easy-to-access services to meet the needs of women across every decade in their local Boots.
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