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Community Pharmacy Minor Ailment Services Key Slides

Community Pharmacy Minor Ailment Services Key Slides. What is a minor ailment scheme?. A locally tailored scheme whereby patients are given the opportunity to see a pharmacist for treatment and/or advice for minor illnesses as an alternative to seeing their GP

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Community Pharmacy Minor Ailment Services Key Slides

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  1. Community Pharmacy Minor Ailment Services Key Slides

  2. What is a minor ailment scheme? • A locally tailored scheme whereby patients are given the opportunity to see a pharmacist for treatment and/or advice for minor illnesses as an alternative to seeing their GP • Free of charge for patients who are exempt from prescription charges • Community pharmacy minor ailment schemes are enhanced services within the community pharmacy contractual framework • Commissioned locally by a PCT

  3. Effects of minor ailments on GP workload • Research suggests 51.4 million GP consultations a year are solely for minor ailments1 • 18% of GPs’ workload or an hour a day for each GP is spent on minor ailment consultations1 • Total cost to the NHS of these consultations is £1.8 billion and 80% of this is attributable to the cost of GPs’ time1 1. Making the case for a pharmacy-based minor ailments scheme for England. The Pharmaceutical Journal 2008;280:111.

  4. Benefits of a community pharmacy minor ailment scheme • Improves access to medicines and increases patient choice of primary care services • Promotes self-care through pharmacy, educates and empowers patients in caring for themselves • Provides access for patients to appropriate advice and/or treatment • Improves primary care capacity by reducing GP practice workload related to minor ailments • Helps GP practices to meet various GMS contract targets

  5. More benefits • Improves GP access for patients with more complex conditions • Makes better use of pharmacists skills • Promotes the role of the community pharmacist • Promotes better working relationships between community pharmacists and GPs • Could potentially reduce waiting times in A&E • Helps Primary Care Trusts to achieve local and national targets around GP access and choice in primary care

  6. Examples of minor ailments covered by the service • Allergies • Athlete’s foot • Bites & Stings • Cold & Flu like symptoms • Conjunctivitis • Constipation • Cystitis • Diarrhoea • Head Lice • Indigestion/ Heartburn/ Tummy Upset • Mouth Ulcers • Vaginal Thrush (Adult) • Warts & Verrucae

  7. Evidence • Evaluations of existing minor ailment schemes have shown them to be safe, effective and well received1 • Evidence suggests that minor ailment schemes are most successful in socially disadvantaged areas and are particularly well received by mothers with young children1 1. Implementing a community pharmacy minor ailment scheme. A practical toolkit for primary care organisations and health professionals. National Pharmaceutical Association 2004.

  8. Community pharmacy minor ailment schemes help to: Realise the governments agenda in relation to: • A patient-centred health service • Support for self-care • Responding to ever increasing expectations of convenience and customer service from the public • Making better use of the skills of NHS staff • Community pharmacy being an integral part of the NHS

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