Porterbrook Pharmacy Sheffield Walk-in for NHS services today
Can't get a GP appointment? A pharmacist can treat seven common conditions, start or continue your contraceptive pill, and supply emergency contraception — all without a referral. Most people are seen the same day.
- Free consultation
- No appointment needed
- Private consulting room
- Contraception and morning after pill free
What it costs
The consultation is free for everything we do. There is no charge to be seen and no charge for advice.
Pharmacy First — if the pharmacist supplies a medicine, the standard NHS prescription charge of £9.90 applies, the same as at any pharmacy. If you are exempt from prescription charges, you pay nothing. Tell the pharmacist when you are seen.
Contraception and emergency contraception — free. No charge for the consultation and no charge for the medicine, whether or not you are exempt from prescription charges.
How it works
Four steps, whichever service you need
Walk in
Come to the counter on Sunderland Street and mention the service you want to access. No appointment needed.
Private assessment
The pharmacist takes you into the consultation room, asks about your symptoms and examines you.
Treatment
Advice, a pharmacy medicine, or a prescription-only medicine including antibiotics if it is clinically appropriate.
Referral if needed
If you need a GP or urgent care, the pharmacist tells you plainly and refers you to the most appropriate service.
Morning after pill in Sheffield — free, same day, no appointment
Free. No charge for the consultation and no charge for the medicine. Most high street chains charge £25 to £35 for the same thing.
You do not need a GP. You do not need an appointment. You do not need to ring round pharmacies asking who has it and what they charge.
Porterbrook Pharmacy on Sunderland Street supplies emergency contraception free on the NHS. Come to the counter and say you need to see the pharmacist — you do not have to explain why in front of anyone. The conversation happens in our consulting room with the door shut.
We are a few minutes from Ecclesall Road and at the top of Cemetery road, so we we're able to cater for both locals who are residents of the area and students who live out and are attending the nearby Collegiate campus of Sheffield Hallam University. .
Come in if
- It happened in the last five days
- A condom split or came off
- You missed pills and you are not sure where you stand
- You have been told it is too late somewhere else
- You would rather not have this conversation with your GP
Free morning after pill — what it actually costs
Nothing. There is no charge for the consultation and no charge for the medicine.
Most high street chains charge somewhere between £25 and £35 for the same thing. You do not need to pay that. You're able to access Emergency contraception for free at Porterbrook pharmacy and you do not need to be exempt from prescription charges to get it.
If you have been searching for the price of the morning after pill, or where to get it cheaply, the answer is that with us, you wouldn't be paying at all.
How long you have — the day after pill, and beyond
The name is misleading. It is not just the morning after.
There are two licensed options and they work over different windows:
Levonelle (levonorgestrel) — up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. Most effective the sooner it is taken.
ellaOne (ulipristal acetate) — up to 120 hours, which is five full days.
The pharmacist will ask when it happened, what contraception you normally use, and what medicines you take, then advise which one is right for you. In some circumstances neither is the best option and a copper coil is more effective — if that applies, we will tell you and point you to the right service.
The point is this: if you think you have left it too late, you probably have not. Come in and ask.
Emergency contraception without an appointment
There is no booking system and no form. Walk in during opening hours, ask at the counter for the pharmacist, and you will be seen.
You may wait a short while if the pharmacist is already with a patient. In almost every case you are seen the same day, usually within minutes.
Confidential — what happens in the consulting room
The consultation is private. You will not be asked anything at the counter beyond who you need to see.
The pharmacist will ask about the date and time, your normal contraception, your medical history and any medicines you take. This is to work out which option is appropriate, not to make a judgement about anything.
Nothing is passed to your GP unless you agree to it. If you are under 16, the pharmacist has a duty to make sure you are safe, and will explain what that means before anything else happens.
Thinking about regular contraception? A pharmacist can start you on the pill the same day — see what's involved.
Contraceptive pill in Sheffield — start it or stay on it, without a GP
No GP appointment, no prescription, and you do not need to be registered with a doctor here. A pharmacist can start you on the pill or continue the one you are already taking.
Most people still think the pill has to come from a doctor. It does not, and it has not for a while.
Under the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service, a pharmacist can assess you and supply oral contraception directly. That covers starting it for the first time, carrying on with the one you are already taking, and the routine checks in between.
It takes about 10-15 minutes. We check your blood pressure and weight, go through your medical history, and talk about what suits you. Patients are normally able to leave with the medication the same day.
This is the part patients are usually surprised by: you do not need to be registered with a GP, and you don't need a prescription.
Come in if
- You want to start the pill and cannot get a GP appointment
- You are running low and need more
- You have moved to Sheffield and are not registered with a doctor yet
- You want to switch to a pill that suits you better
- You are due a check and would rather not wait
Contraceptive pill initiation — starting the pill
If you have never taken it before, or you are coming back to it after a break, the pharmacist will go through the options with you.
Blood pressure and weight are checked. We ask about migraines, smoking, blood clots in the family, and anything else that affects which type is safe for you. Then we talk through the difference between the combined pill and the progestogen-only pill, and what each one means day to day.
You are not committed to anything. If you want to think about it, that is fine.
Repeat contraceptive pill supply
Already on it and running low? You do not need to go back to the GP for more.
Bring the packet or mention the name. The pharmacist checks your blood pressure and weight, asks how you have been getting on, and issues the supply. Same visit.
This is the one people find most useful — no waiting three weeks for a phone appointment to be told yes, carry on.
Which pills we can supply
We can supply the common combined and progestogen-only pills, including:
Combined pill
- Microgynon
- Rigevidon
- Yasmin
- Gedarel
- Millinette
Progestogen-only pill (mini pill)
- Norethisterone
- Drospirenone
- Desogestrel- Cerelle, Cerazette
If you are on something we do not routinely hold, tell us the name and we will order it in. If what you are on is no longer suitable, the pharmacist will explain why and what the alternatives are.
Combined pill or mini pill — which one
The combined pill contains oestrogen and progestogen. It usually gives more predictable bleeding, but it is not suitable if you get migraines with aura, if you smoke and are over 35, or if there is a history of clots.
The progestogen-only pill, often called the mini pill, has no oestrogen. It suits a lot of people who cannot take the combined pill, including while breastfeeding. Bleeding patterns can be less predictable, particularly in the first few months.
The pharmacist will work through this with you rather than handing you a leaflet.
Contraceptive pill review and pill checks
The pill needs checking periodically, and that check can happen here.
Blood pressure, weight, how you are getting on with it, any side effects, and whether it is still the right choice. If something needs changing, the pharmacist can switch you or refer you on.
Book it or walk in.
You wake up with a throat that feels like broken glass. Your child has been awake half the night with earache. The GP line opens at eight and by five past there is nothing left.
You do not have to wait. Porterbrook Pharmacy on Sunderland Street is an NHS Pharmacy First provider. A pharmacist can assess you for seven common conditions and supply prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics, where they are clinically appropriate. Walk in. No referral. Most people are seen the same day.
Same-day NHS Pharmacy First appointments
Pharmacy First is the NHS scheme that lets a community pharmacist assess and treat seven conditions without you seeing a GP first. It runs at Porterbrook Pharmacy every day we are open. You do not need to book, and you do not need a GP referral.
Ask at the counter. You may wait a short while if the pharmacist is with another patient, but you will be seen the same day in almost every case. The assessment happens in our private consulting room, so you can talk openly.
We sit next door to a GP surgery and have an established referral pathway with them. If what you have falls outside the scheme, we will say so and help you get to the right place.
The seven pathways
What a pharmacist can treat
Each condition has an age range set by the NHS. Jump to the one you need.
Sore throat assessment and treatment
Age 5 and over.
Most sore throats are viral and settle within a week. Some are bacterial, and those are the ones that need antibiotics. Telling them apart takes an examination, not a guess.
The pharmacist looks at your throat, asks about the glands in your neck, takes your temperature and scores your symptoms against the criteria the NHS uses. If that score points to a bacterial infection, we can supply antibiotics there and then. If it points to a virus, you get advice on how to manage the symptoms with over the counter products.
Sore throat treatment is what we are asked for most from October to March. If you have been searching for tonsillitis treatment, or wondering whether a pharmacy can prescribe antibiotics for a throat infection, this is the service you want.
Come in if you have
- Pain when you swallow
- White spots visible on the tonsils
- Swollen Tonsils
- A temperature with no cough
Earache assessment and treatment for children
Ages 1 to 17. Adults with earache should see a GP, and we can point you next door.
Earache in a child is miserable and it always seems to be worst at bedtime. This pathway covers acute otitis media — a middle ear infection — in anyone aged 1 to 17.
The pharmacist uses an otoscope to look inside the ear, checks the eardrum and asks how long it has been going on. Many ear infections clear without antibiotics, so you may be given ear spray for relief and told to return if symptoms worsen. Where antibiotics are the right call, they can be supplied without you seeing a doctor.
Bring your child in. Families across Sharrow, Broomhall, Nether Edge and Ecclesall road use us for earache treatment through the autumn and winter.
Come in if you have
- Pain in one or both ears
- Pulling or rubbing at the ear in a younger child
- Temperature, poor sleep, off their food
- Fluid coming from the ear
Urinary tract infection (UTI) treatment
Women aged 16 to 64. Men, pregnant women, and women outside this age range need a GP — the pharmacist will refer you.
The burning or stinging, the constant urgency, the waking up at night to go — most women know what it is before they get here.
The pharmacist asks about your symptoms and rules out signs of something more serious, such as a kidney infection. Where the picture fits an uncomplicated lower UTI, antibiotics can be supplied the same day. If anything looks atypical, or this keeps coming back, you get referred rather than treated.
UTI treatment is busier in summer. If you want cystitis treatment without seeing a doctor, walk in and ask.
Come in if you have
- Burning or stinging when you pass urine
- Needing to go far more often, day and night
- Cloudy or strong-smelling urine
- An ache low in the stomach
Sinusitis assessment and treatment
Age 12 and over.
A cold that will not shift, pressure across the cheeks and forehead, pain that worsens when you lean forward, a blocked nose going into its third week. That is acute sinusitis, and we cover it.
The pharmacist checks how long you have had symptoms, whether they improved and then got worse again, and how severe they are. Sinus infections often need nothing more than a steroid nasal spray and time, and the pharmacist can supply that. Where the assessment meets the criteria for a bacterial infection, antibiotics can be supplied.
Come in if it has gone past ten days without improving.
Come in if you have
- Blocked nose that will not clear
- Pressure or pain across the cheeks, eyes or forehead
- Reduced sense of smell
- Symptoms that improved, then got worse again
Shingles assessment and treatment
Age 18 and over. Come the same day — antiviral treatment works best within 72 hours of the rash appearing.
Shingles is time-critical. Antiviral treatment works best when it is started within 72 hours of the rash appearing, so do not wait to see whether it settles.
It usually starts as burning, tingling or pain on one side of the body, followed by a band of blisters that does not cross the midline. Come in the same day. The pharmacist examines the rash, confirms the pattern and can supply antiviral medication where it is appropriate, with advice on managing the pain.
Shingles near the eye, or in someone whose immune system is suppressed, needs urgent medical attention. The pharmacist will recognise that and send you straight on.
Come in if you have
- Burning, tingling or pain on one side, before any rash
- A band of blisters that stops at the midline
- Blisters that crust over after a few days
- Pain that feels out of proportion to the rash
Impetigo assessment and treatment
Age 1 and over.
Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection that leaves golden or honey-coloured crusts, usually around the nose and mouth. It is very contagious and it moves quickly through a family or a classroom.
The pharmacist looks at the affected skin, works out whether it is localised or spreading, and can supply an antibiotic cream or oral antibiotics where they are needed. You also get advice on stopping it spreading — separate towels, hand washing, and when a child can go back to school.
Come in if you have
- Reddish sores, often around the nose and mouth
- Sores that burst and dry to a golden crust
- Patches that spread over a day or two
- Itching, but usually little pain
Infected insect bite treatment
Age 1 and over.
Most bites itch for a couple of days and then fade. A bite that becomes hot, swollen, increasingly red and painful after 48 hours may be infected, and that is what this pathway covers.
The pharmacist examines the bite, checks how far the redness has spread and whether you have a temperature, and can supply antibiotics where the assessment supports it. Anything suggesting a severe reaction is referred on straight away.
This picks up sharply in summer, particularly for people walking in Endcliffe Park or sitting out in the garden. If a bite is getting worse rather than better, come in.
Come in if you have
- Redness spreading outwards after 48 hours
- Skin hot to the touch
- Swelling that keeps increasing
- A temperature alongside the bite
Minor illness/Ailments treatments
Not everything falls inside the seven pathways, and plenty of things do not need a prescription at all. A pharmacist is still the right first stop for coughs and colds, hay fever, mild skin complaints, indigestion, threadworm, head lice, aches and pains, and questions about the medicines you already take.
Ask at the counter. Advice costs nothing. If a pharmacy medicine will sort it, we will tell you which one and how to take it. If it is one of the seven Pharmacy First conditions, we move into a full assessment in the consulting room. If it needs a doctor, we say so — and being next door to a GP surgery with an established referral pathway makes that a short conversation rather than a dead end.
We are on Sunderland Street, just off Cemetery Road and a few minutes from Ecclesall Road, with Sheffield General Cemetery close by. Patients come to us from Sharrow, Sharrow Vale, Nether Edge, Broomhall, Highfield, Heeley, Abbeydale and Endcliffe.
Can't get a GP appointment? Walk in and be seen today.
7 Sunderland Street, Sheffield, S11 8HN. Monday to Friday 8:30am–6:30pm, Saturday 9:00am–1:00pm.
Common questions
The things patients ask us
NHS Pharmacy First
How much does it cost?
The consultation is free to everyone. If the pharmacist supplies a medicine, the standard NHS prescription charge of £9.90 applies. If you are exempt from prescription charges, you pay nothing.
Do I need an appointment?
No. Walk in and ask at the counter. You do not need to book and you do not need a GP referral. Most people are seen the same day.
Can a pharmacist actually prescribe antibiotics?
Under the seven Pharmacy First pathways a pharmacist can supply prescription-only medicines, including antibiotics, where the assessment shows they are clinically appropriate. If they are not appropriate, you will be told why.
What are the age limits?
Sore throat 5 and over. Earache 1 to 17. UTI women 16 to 64. Sinusitis 12 and over. Impetigo 1 and over. Shingles 18 and over. Infected insect bite 1 and over.
What should I bring?
Bring your name, date of birth, address and your GP surgery if you have one. Bring a list of any medicines you take. If you are exempt from prescription charges, say so when you are seen.
Will I be seen in private?
Yes. Assessments take place in our private consulting room, not at the counter.
Morning after pill
Is the morning after pill free at a pharmacy?
At Porterbrook, yes. Consultation and medicine both free, and you do not need to be exempt from prescription charges.
Where can I get the morning after pill near me?
7 Sunderland Street, S11 8HN — just off London Road, a few minutes from Ecclesall Road. Patients come to us from Sharrow, Sharrow Vale, Nether Edge, Broomhall, Highfield, Heeley, Abbeydale and Endcliffe.
Is Plan B the same as the morning after pill?
Plan B is the American brand name. In the UK the equivalents are Levonelle and ellaOne, and we stock both.
Will the morning after pill affect my period?
It can bring it forward or push it back by a few days. If your period is more than seven days late, or unusually light, take a pregnancy test. The pharmacist will explain what to expect before you leave.
Can I get the morning after pill more than once?
Yes. There is no limit and you will not be lectured about it. If it is happening often, the pharmacist can talk to you about regular contraception — which we can also start you on here, the same day.
Contraceptive pill
Can a pharmacist really prescribe the contraceptive pill?
Yes. Under the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service, pharmacists can initiate and supply oral contraception without a GP prescription. It is a commissioned NHS service, not a private workaround.
Where can I get the contraceptive pill without seeing a GP?
Here. 7 Sunderland Street, S11 8HN. No referral, no registration, no prescription.
Is the contraceptive pill free at the pharmacy?
Yes — consultation and supply are both free under the NHS service.
Can I get the contraceptive pill the same day?
In most cases, yes. If we need to order in a specific brand it may be the next working day, and we will tell you at the time.
What do I need to bring for the contraceptive pill?
Nothing essential. If you are already on the pill, bring the packet or know the name. If you know your usual blood pressure readings, that is useful but not required.