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NHS England data show that pharmacies are taking on more than half of all referrals from NHS 111 online, analysis by The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed.
NHS 111 online is part of the wider NHS 111 service, where users can either call the free phoneline or access advice through the website or NHS App.
Monthly data from July 2024 to June 2025 show that referrals to pharmacy accounted for an average of 56% of all online referrals.
The number of pharmacy referrals each month ranged from 91,231 in February 2025 to 138,102 in May 2025.
The majority of online pharmacy referrals were for patients seeking urgent repeat prescriptions, which made up an average of 92% of the pharmacy referrals each month (see Figure).
Explanatory notes published by NHS England say that these urgent repeat prescriptions “allow the user to attend a pharmacy under the ‘Pharmacy First’ initiative … to obtain a small amount of their prescribed medicine”.
The next highest number of referrals were to “primary care, pharmacy”, which made up an average of 8% of pharmacy referrals each month.
The highest number of ‘primary care, pharmacy’ referrals (9,924) was recorded in December 2024.
Referrals for ‘self-care’ were rare, totaling just 326–592 cases each month (<1%).
The highest number of self-care referrals occurred in March 2025 with 592 referrals.
The data align with a report published by the Proprietary Association of Great Britain in July 2025, which revealed a significant fall in people seeking self-care advice from pharmacists more broadly.
Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the NHS 111 online data highlight the “crucial role” community pharmacies play in supporting patients and the NHS.
“It shows how accessible and trusted these services are for urgent healthcare needs,” she said.
“Community pharmacists ensure timely access to urgent repeat prescriptions, reducing pressure on GP appointments. They also offer valuable advice for primary care concerns and self-care, helping patients manage minor ailments and easing demand on emergency and primary care services.
“This underlines the need for a strong and resilient pharmacy network so patients can continue to access the care they need closer to home. To fully unlock the potential of community pharmacies, there must be sustainable investment and workforce support.”
Pharmacy referrals are less common through the NHS 111 phone service. The NHS Integrated Urgent Care Aggregate Data Collection collates outcomes from calls to the phone service, but data are aggregated across broad categories.
In June 2025, the phone service received 1,563,544 calls, of which 6,250 callers were advised to speak to a pharmacist.
