Until I’d woken up in the middle of an orchard at 2am with a child so covered in bites it was like trying to share a tent with a bag of feral cats, I hadn’t quite realised the extent of the pharmacy shortage in the UK.
For years, the last government advised people who were struggling to get a GP appointment to simply turn up at their local pharmacy instead. After all, pharmacists can often prescribe things quicker than a doctor, have a better sense of their stock, and you can pick up a box of condoms and some of those petrol-tasting throat lozenges at the same time. If your case isn’t urgent, we were told, don’t bother the poor doctors with your flaking feet or sore throat, just take a little trip down the high street and get your medical advice from someone behind a counter full of hairbands and lip balms. This scheme even had a natty little name: Pharmacy First.
