A urinary tract infection is a bad thing to have on a working day. It arrives quickly, it is painful and distracting, and the traditional route to treatment — ring the surgery at eight, hope for an appointment — is exactly the thing that is hardest to do when you are already at your desk.
Since the introduction of NHS Pharmacy First, that route has changed. A pharmacist can now assess an uncomplicated UTI and supply antibiotics where they are appropriate, free, on the same day, without a GP appointment or a referral.
This guide covers who qualifies, who genuinely doesn't, what happens in the consultation, and when a UTI stops being routine. Qrystal Pharmacy is at 301 Borough High Street, a couple of minutes from Borough station.
What a UTI feels like
Symptoms usually come on fast, often within a day. The common ones are:
- Burning, stinging or pain when you pass urine
- Needing to go more often than usual
- Sudden urgency, sometimes passing only a small amount
- Feeling unable to empty your bladder fully
- Cloudy, dark or strong-smelling urine
- Blood in your urine
- Pressure or discomfort low in the tummy
- Feeling generally achy, tired or mildly feverish
Two or more of these together, coming on over the last few days, is the pattern the service is designed for.
Who the pharmacy service covers
Under Pharmacy First, we can treat:
- Women aged 16 to 64
- Registered with an NHS GP in England
- With symptoms suggesting an uncomplicated lower UTI
- With no features suggesting a more serious infection
It is free, confidential, and takes place in our private consultation room. Nobody needs to discuss symptoms at the counter — telling our team you would like a Pharmacy First consultation is enough.
Who we can't treat — and why that matters
This is the part that is most worth reading, because the exclusions are not bureaucratic. Each one exists because the condition behaves differently in that group.
- Men of any age. UTIs in men are less common and more likely to involve the prostate or another underlying cause, so they need GP assessment.
- Women aged 65 and over. UTIs in older adults often present atypically — sometimes as confusion rather than burning — and are managed differently. Over-treatment is a real risk in this group.
- Pregnancy. UTIs in pregnancy need treating, but the choice of antibiotic and the follow-up differ. Tell us straight away and we will point you to the right route quickly.
- Recurrent UTIs — more than two in six months, or three in a year. Repeated short courses treat episodes without addressing the pattern; this deserves a proper GP review.
- Catheterised patients, where infection is a different clinical problem.
- Anyone with signs of a kidney infection — see the red flags below. That is urgent, not a pharmacy matter.
If you fall outside the service, we will tell you immediately and explain where to go instead. That takes two minutes and is better than a wasted morning.
When it's urgent
A lower UTI is uncomfortable. A kidney infection is serious, and the difference is worth knowing.
Seek same-day medical help — your GP, or NHS 111 — if you have:
- Pain in your back or side, just below the ribs
- A temperature of 38°C or above, shaking or chills
- Nausea or vomiting alongside bladder symptoms
- New confusion or drowsiness, particularly in an older relative
- Symptoms that are getting worse rather than better on treatment
The NHS page on kidney infection explains why these warrant prompt attention.
Also worth flagging: vaginal bleeding, unusual discharge, or pain during sex alongside bladder symptoms may point to something other than a UTI. Tell the pharmacist — it changes the assessment.
It isn't always a UTI
Burning when passing urine is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and several other things produce it: thrush, a sexually transmitted infection, irritation from soaps or products, and vaginal dryness related to the menopause among them.
This is one of the reasons the consultation involves questions rather than just handing over antibiotics. Antibiotics do nothing for any of the above, and taking a course that was never going to help delays getting the right treatment — as well as carrying the usual costs we set out in our guide to antibiotic resistance.
What happens in the consultation
Roughly ten to fifteen minutes, in private:
- You tell us what's happening — which symptoms, how long, whether you have had UTIs before.
- We ask about the exclusions — pregnancy, recurrent infections, any red-flag features, other medicines you take, and allergies.
- We decide together. For clear-cut symptoms, antibiotics are usually appropriate, most often nitrofurantoin or trimethoprim. For very mild or ambiguous symptoms, self-care with a short review may be the better first step.
- You leave with treatment and advice, dispensed in the same visit, plus clear guidance on what to do if things don't improve.
Full details are on our UTI treatment page.
Self-care, and what doesn't work
Alongside treatment:
- Drink enough fluid to keep urine pale, without forcing litres.
- Paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, at the correct dose.
- Don't hold on — pass urine when you need to.
- Finish the antibiotic course, even though symptoms usually improve within a day or two.
Two things sold heavily for UTIs deserve honesty. Cranberry products and urine-alkalinising sachets are popular, but the evidence that either treats an established infection is weak, and NHS guidance does not recommend relying on them. If you find a sachet soothing while you wait for antibiotics to work, that is fine — just don't let it delay assessment. The NHS overview of urinary tract infections covers the current position.
If it isn't getting better
Most women feel substantially better within about 48 hours of starting antibiotics. If you don't, that is information rather than bad luck, and it needs acting on rather than waiting out.
Come back to us, or contact your GP, if:
- There is no real improvement after two days of treatment
- Symptoms return quickly once the course finishes
- You develop any of the red-flag features above at any point
The usual reason is that the bacteria causing the infection are not sensitive to the antibiotic prescribed. Resolving that generally means sending a urine sample for culture, so the next antibiotic can be chosen on evidence rather than assumption — which is a GP pathway rather than a pharmacy one.
One thing not to do: take leftover antibiotics from a previous infection, or someone else's. Partial courses are a reliable way to produce a harder-to-treat infection next time.
Reducing the chance of the next one
For women who get UTIs repeatedly, small habits help, though none are guaranteed:
- Pass urine after sex
- Wipe front to back
- Avoid perfumed soaps, bubble baths and douches
- Don't routinely delay going when you need to
- Stay well hydrated across the day
If they keep returning despite all this, that is the point to ask your GP about a longer-term plan rather than repeating short courses.
Getting seen in SE1
The thing that stops most people treating a UTI promptly is not knowing where to go on a weekday. For anyone living or working around Borough, London Bridge and Bankside, we are a short walk from most of it.
- Borough Underground (Northern line): about 2 minutes' walk
- London Bridge (Northern & Jubilee lines, National Rail): about 8 minutes
- Guy's Hospital, Borough Market and Tooley Street: all within about ten minutes
- Buses: frequent routes stop directly outside
We're at 301 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JH, open Monday to Friday 9:00–18:30 and Saturday 9:00–14:00. For people who work nearby, a lunch break is genuinely enough time.
Come in, or call first
- Call: 020 7403 2237 — we can have the consultation room ready
- Visit: 301 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JH — walk in, no appointment
- Book a consultation if you'd rather hold a slot
For urgent problems outside our hours, NHS 111 runs 24 hours a day; our guide to urgent care near Borough sets out the options.
A UTI is common, treatable, and nothing to be embarrassed about — roughly half of women will have one at some point. The only real mistake is waiting several days hoping it passes.
