Pharmacies in Thurrock: Pharmacy First, Finding One Open and Emergency Supplies
How to find an open pharmacy in Thurrock, what Pharmacy First can treat without a GP appointment, and how 111 can arrange an emergency supply.
To find a pharmacy open in Thurrock, use the NHS find a pharmacy tool with your town or postcode and contact the pharmacy to confirm hours before you travel. Through Pharmacy First, pharmacists can treat certain conditions such as sore throat and urinary tract infections without a GP appointment. NHS 111 can send an emergency medicine request to a local pharmacy.
Pharmacy opening hours, including late-night and Sunday cover, change from week to week. This guide shows how to find a pharmacy that is open when you need one and what a pharmacist can do for you.
How do I find a pharmacy near me?
The NHS find a pharmacy tool lets you enter a town, city or postcode in England, or use your location, and returns nearby pharmacies. Search from where you are in Grays, Tilbury, Chafford Hundred or elsewhere in Thurrock. The NHS's pharmacy guidance says to contact a pharmacy directly to confirm its services and hours before you travel, which is sensible out of hours.
What is Pharmacy First?
The NHS says pharmacists can supply treatment, including prescription-only medicines, for certain conditions through Pharmacy First, without a GP appointment. The conditions and age limits it lists are:
- impetigo (age 1 and over)
- infected insect bites (age 1 and over)
- earache (ages 1 to 17)
- sore throat (age 5 and over)
- sinusitis (age 12 and over)
- urinary tract infections (women aged 16 to 64)
- shingles (age 18 and over)
Pharmacists also give advice on a range of everyday illnesses such as coughs, colds, ear infections and aches and pains, suggest over-the-counter medicines, and refer you on to a GP or another professional if they cannot help. They can update your GP record. The NHS's main pharmacies page also mentions services such as contraceptive pills without a prescription and blood pressure checks, which vary by pharmacy.
What if I run out of medicine out of hours?
The NHS says 111 cannot issue a prescription, but it can send a request to a local pharmacy for a limited supply of medicine in an emergency. Use the NHS 111 page: online at 111.nhs.uk (age 5 and over), through the NHS App or by phone. There is also text relay (18001 111) and a British Sign Language video service.
Where is the hospital pharmacy?
Basildon Hospital has a Boots pharmacy on site, listed on the hospital's page. See our urgent care guide for hospital details.
When should I not go to a pharmacy?
For chest pain, difficulty breathing or serious injury, call 999. For anything else you are unsure of, use 111 first.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find a pharmacy open near me in Grays or Tilbury?
- Use the NHS find a pharmacy tool and enter a town, city or postcode, or use your location. The NHS says to contact a pharmacy directly to confirm its services and hours before you travel.
- What is Pharmacy First?
- It lets pharmacists supply treatment, including prescription-only medicines, for certain conditions without a GP appointment. The NHS lists impetigo, infected insect bites, earache, sore throat, sinusitis, urinary tract infections and shingles, each with an age limit.
- Can a pharmacist treat a sore throat without a GP appointment?
- Yes, sore throat is one of the Pharmacy First conditions, for people aged 5 and over. The NHS also lists earache for ages 1 to 17 and sinusitis for ages 12 and over.
- What if I run out of medicine out of hours?
- The NHS says 111 cannot issue a prescription, but it can send a request to a local pharmacy for a limited supply of medicine in an emergency. You can use 111 online, through the NHS App or by phone.
- Is there a pharmacy at the hospital serving Thurrock?
- Basildon Hospital has a Boots pharmacy on site, listed on the hospital's page.
- When should I not go to a pharmacy?
- For chest pain, difficulty breathing or serious injury, call 999. For anything else you are unsure of, use 111 first.
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