Key Summary
- A Pharmacy Business LinkedIn poll reveals that 55 per cent of respondents feel skilled and ready to manage acute migraines under Pharmacy First, while an additional 28 per cent back the move if adequate funding is provided.
- A report by the CCA and Pfizer UK highlights that expanding the service could provide faster care to 1.25 million people, significantly easing GP and A&E pressures.
- However, they also stressed that adequate funding is necessary.
A recent poll conducted by Pharmacy Business on LinkedIn has revealed overwhelming support for expanding the Pharmacy First service to include the treatment of acute migraines and headaches, with most respondents agreeing that pharmacists are fully capable of managing these conditions.
The poll follows the publication of a joint report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) and Pfizer UK titled 'Increasing Access to Migraine Treatments in Primary Care'.
The report highlights that community pharmacies could support up to 1.25 million people suffering from acute headaches and migraines each year, granting them faster access to effective treatment while driving down wait times at GP surgeries and hospitals.
According to the Pharmacy Business poll results:
- 55 per cent of respondents stated that pharmacies are skilled and ready to take on the addition immediately.
- 28 per cent agreed with the expansion, but stressed that there should be adequate funding.
- 13 per cent opposed the move, noting that pharmacists are already heavily overworked.
- Just 3 per cent believed the task should be left entirely to GPs.
Migraines currently affect roughly 14 per cent of the population, and headaches have risen to become the second leading cause of disability worldwide.
CCA Chief Executive Malcolm Harrison emphasised that headaches prompt millions of NHS appointments annually and have contributed to a sharp rise in A&E attendances, especially during winter. He noted that while pharmacists are willing to step in to ease this pressure, the government must be realistic about the costs.
"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,” Harrison added.
The debate over service expansion comes on the heels of the newly finalised 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations.
Under the new contractual framework, pharmacists who hold an Independent Prescribing qualification will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly.
This will be rolled in Autumn, and deliver on-the-spot care for common conditions and gives patients access to a wider range of medicines.
Meanwhile, thousands of newly-qualified pharmacists with prescribing qualifications will enter the sector from the autumn.
They will be the first cohort to be trained with prescribing as part of their pharmacy qualifications. They will be expected to help broaden and improve the Pharmacy First scheme.
This year’s CPCF deal secures a 10.3 per cent increase in funding for community pharmacies, bringing the total budget to £3.636 billion for the current financial year.
While pharmacy groups have expressed appreciation for the immediate financial relief, the consensus across the sector remains clear: given the chronic underfunding of the past decade, further clinical expansions like migraine treatments will require separate, dedicated funding structures to be sustainable.
