The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7488 p149
9 February 2008

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• Clarke Inquiry (2)
• Minor ailment scheme
• EHC
• WCPPE (2)
• Dispensing
• Community pharmacy
• PSNC
• Drug addiction
• The Society (2)

Letters to the Editor

Minor ailment scheme

Issue for pharmacy to consider

From Mrs A. E. Joshua, MRPharmS

Your News feature entitled “Making the case for a pharmacy-based minor ailments scheme for England” reported that 18 per cent of a GP’s workload was spent on minor ailment consultations (PJ, 2 February 2008, p103). The Proprietary Association of Great Britain and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee are reported to be proposing that pharmacy should be the sole point of entry for all cases of minor ailments.

Our experience at NHS Direct is that members of the public are aware of community pharmacy as a place to visit for minor ailment advice and support. Many community pharmacists tell us they also provide advice and support via the telephone when they are open.

There is a great deal that can be gained for community pharmacy in establishing strategic alliances with other providers of minor illness services rather than trying to promote itself as the sole point of entry. Patients are being encouraged to choose their point of health care access rather than be limited to only one model of service provision.

At NHS Direct we currently take an average of 22,000 calls day through our 0845 4647 number resulting in about eight million calls a year. Just under half of these calls, 47 per cent, are dealt with by NHS Direct as a “home care” or minor illness end point. Most of our calls are received after 6pm and up to midnight, a time when GP surgeries are closed and pharmacies are closing.

The reassurance and support that patients receive from NHS Direct via the telephone is a response to their need at a time when for various reasons the patient chooses this point of access. If, during the course of that discussion, a face-to-face assessment is considered in the best interests of the patient or medicines are required, then patients are advised to visit their local pharmacy, which may have to be on the next day.

The real issues for pharmacy are whether it wants to provide “minor ailments services” as an NHS activity and if it does is pharmacy ready to join with other NHS services so that we can jointly make that process as simple and accessible for the patient as the non-NHS pharmacy minor ailments service is now.

Anne Joshua
Associate Director of Pharmacy
NHS Direct

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