Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of pharmacy-first protocols and pharmacy-led clinics in the early intervention and ongoing management of chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria is not one of the conditions currently included in the Pharmacy First Clinical pathway protocols. NHS England will continue to keep the clinical scope of the Pharmacy First service under review, including any future service expansion to include new conditions.

If patients do not qualify for the Pharmacy First service, they should still be able to access healthcare advice from their pharmacy. Support for self-care is an essential service that all pharmacies must provide. This can include the provision of healthcare advice, the sale of over-the-counter medicines and, where appropriate, pharmacies must signpost to other providers if the supply of a prescription-only medicine is required.