The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7491 p240
1 March 2008

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Pharmacists have mixed reaction to Notts minor ailments scheme

Around half of pharmacists asked about their participation in Nottingham’s “Pharmacy first minor ailments scheme” were positive about the programme, a newly published study reveals (International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2008;16:73).

Semi-structured interviews with 26 pharmacists (conducted between November 2004 and March 2005) identified a range of issues that could be barriers to running a minor ailments scheme (see Panel right).

According to the authors, most pharmacists thought that enhancing the image of the profession was the most important incentive for them to participate in the scheme. “However, around one-third of pharmacists expected the scheme to be more popular and have a larger formulary than it did.”

Most of the pharmacists said they had few interactions with GPs and reported that the scheme had not affected these relationships. Nonetheless, the authors say: “A number of pharmacists felt that the scheme had had a positive impact on patient care in three main ways: improving access to medicines; providing them with more choice; and often being more convenient than visiting their GP.”

The study’s findings have generated recommendations for improving the service, say the authors. “Nottingham City PCT has already taken steps to resolve many of the issues raised, in that they have extended the formulary, revised the administration process and paperwork, raised the consultation fee and increased the publicity. However, there are still some outstanding issues that need to be addressed, particularly the lack of privacy in some pharmacies.”