September Questions of the Month

Question – Why doesn’t this practice subscribe to the hub? V. useful if working.

Reply – Thanks for your question. We don’t use the PCN hub because our practice provides its own Enhanced/Extended Access appointments on site. This means our patients can be seen here by our team during the extended hours, rather than travelling to a hub location. We’ve agreed this model with our PCN and commissioner to ensure capacity is available and comparable to the hub offer.

Question – why won’t pharmacists help with a urine infection if you’re over 60? I thought they now provided this sort of service.

Reply- Thanks for your question.  Community pharmacists can now treat many uncomplicated UTIs under national or local Pharmacy First services, but there are important exclusion criteria.

One key exclusion is age: patients aged 65 and over are generally not eligible for pharmacist-supplied antibiotics for a suspected UTI.

This isn’t about withholding care — it’s because UTIs in older adults can overlap with other causes (including more serious conditions) and carry higher risks of complications. A GP (or appropriate clinician) assessment is recommended to consider red flags, review history/medications, examine, and arrange tests if needed.

Why the age cut-off exists:

In people 65+, UTI-like symptoms can be caused by other conditions (e.g., urological issues, post-menopausal changes, stones, obstruction) and, rarely, urological cancers.

Older adults have higher risk of atypical presentations, sepsis, kidney involvement, dehydration, and medicine interactions.

National pathways therefore direct those 65+ to GP/primary care clinician for holistic assessment and, where appropriate, urine testing, safety-netting, and consideration of further investigation.