Pharmacy First: Requirement to have an otoscope from 1st April

Pharmacy owners are reminded that from 1st April 2024,  they must have an otoscope available, and all clinical pathways must be provided in bricks and mortar* pharmacies registered to provide the Pharmacy First service.

This deadline was highlighted in the NHS England letter announcing the Pharmacy First service, which advised that pharmacy owners could start providing the service on 31st January 2024, excluding the acute otitis media pathway, as long as an order for an otoscope had been placed and they were awaiting delivery.

*Distance Selling Pharmacies are not able to provide the acute otitis media pathway,  as it requires otoscope examination of the patient’s ear and that is not possible via a remote video consultation.