This website is no longer updated
From 1 April 2026, NHS North West London and North Central London Integrated Care Board joined together to become NHS West and North London.
This means the public website is no longer updated and will be archived in the future. The professional section of the website will continue to be used for the next few months before being transferred to a new site.
Visit our new website
From 1 April 2026, please visit the new NHS West and North London website for the latest information, news and updates. The website address is www.westandnorthlondon.icb.nhs.uk
If you have saved any pages from our current site, please update your bookmarks.
Did you know that your local NHS spends £15m a year on prescribing medicines that are available to buy at the pharmacy?
Following national guidance from NHS England, we’re asking GPs not to prescribe these medicines*, including for conditions such as coughs, colds, headaches, mouth ulcers, travel sickness and mild toothache.
Your GP will not generally give you a prescription for over the counter medicines for a range of minor health concerns. Instead, over the counter medicines are available to buy at your local pharmacy.
The team of health professionals at the pharmacy can offer help and clinical advice to manage minor health concerns and if your symptoms suggest it’s more serious, they’ll direct you to the help you need.
For further details, including a list of conditions the guidance applies to, please take a look at our leaflet here. You can also contact us at nhsnwl.communications.nwl@nhs.net.
*Exceptions apply
In addition to national exceptions listed on the leaflet, the following local exceptions will continue to apply:
- medicines that need to be given at school
- care home residents
- individuals with funded care packages
- where a carer is required to administer a medicine or product
- anyone officially declared homeless
- people with a diagnosis of dementia or learning disability