UTI Service · Pharmacy First

Urinary tract infections are common and uncomfortable, but most uncomplicated cases in non-pregnant women aged 16 to 64 can be treated quickly at the pharmacy under NHS Pharmacy First.

Who is eligible?

The NHS Pharmacy First UTI service is for:

• Women aged 16 to 64 with symptoms of an uncomplicated lower UTI.
• Patients not pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Patients without recurrent UTIs (more than 2 in 6 months or 3 in 12 months) — these need GP follow-up.

Symptoms we look for

Typical UTI symptoms include:

• Pain or burning when passing urine (dysuria).
• Needing to go more often than usual.
• Cloudy or strong-smelling urine.
• Lower abdominal discomfort.
• Blood in the urine.

What happens in the consultation

Walk in or call ahead. The consultation is private and takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

• We take a brief history of your symptoms.
• We may take a urine sample for a quick dipstick test.
• We assess against the NICE clinical criteria for uncomplicated UTI.
• Where appropriate, we issue a course of antibiotics (usually nitrofurantoin or trimethoprim) on the spot.
• We give you self-care advice and tell you what to do if symptoms do not improve.

Who is not eligible (and what to do)

If any of the following apply, you should see your GP or call NHS 111 instead — not the pharmacy:

• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You are male, or under 16, or 65 or over.
• You have a fever, back pain, vomiting or feel very unwell (signs of upper UTI / kidney infection).
• You have had a UTI in the past 30 days that did not fully resolve.
• You have a urinary catheter.

If antibiotics do not help

If your symptoms have not improved within 48 hours of starting antibiotics, or are getting worse, please come back and see us or contact your GP. Sometimes a different antibiotic is needed.