Your clinician will not generally give you a prescription for over the counter medicines for a range of minor health concerns. You can find a full list of the health conditions this applies to in this leaflet: 

Prescribing of Over The Counter Medicines

Prescribing of Over The Counter Medicines (easy read)

Instead, over the counter medicines are available to buy in a pharmacy or supermarket in your local community.

The team of health professionals at your local pharmacy can offer help and clinical advice to manage minor health concerns and if your symptoms suggest it’s more serious, they’ll ensure you get the care you need. 

The leaflet linked above provides more information about why prescribing of over the counter medicines is changing, exceptions to the new prescribing rules, how your local pharmacy team can help you and what to do if symptoms don't improve.