Minor Ailments Service
In February 2004, ‘Making it Better: A strategy for pharmacy in the community’ acknowledged that a community pharmacy based minor ailments service can yield benefits to patients and the health service as a whole. Pilot schemes conducted in Northern Ireland showed efficiency and cost savings and greater patient, GP and pharmacist satisfaction. Consequently, the DHSSPS has agreed, that during 2005 “they will work with key stakeholders to commence the managed roll-out of a community pharmacy based minor ailments service.”
Similar to other parts of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland introduced a limited service covering winter ailments across all pharmacies in November 2005.
With the introduction of the new Pharmacy contract, it is anticipated that all community pharmacies will be able to offer a comprehensive minor ailments service as part of their essential services.
Those most likely to benefit from a minor ailments service are those patients who do not pay prescription charges, for example, older people, people from low-income families or people with particular types of disabilities must receive a prescription from their GP in order to avail of free treatment. Such patients have a tendency to use this route and may not have the resources or the motivation to seek alternatives to a prescription from their GP. People, who can afford to, may visit a community pharmacy and pay for over-the-counter medicines to treat minor ailments
By installing a minor ailments service within community pharmacy, patient accessibility to health care services will be improved hence encouraging the use of pharmacy as a first point of call for a health consultation and reducing the demands that such patients make on their GPs.
The minor ailments service is straightforward. Patients will be encouraged to present to a community pharmacy instead of a GP practice in order to receive advice and medicines for a limited range of winter ailments e.g. coughs, colds. Community Pharmacists already advise patients on a wide range of minor ailments and either recommend treatment or refer on to another healthcare professional.
The minor ailments service offers a safe, controlled and convenient alternative to the traditional way of supplying care and medicines for self-limiting conditions. Pilot projects have shown a number of positive outcomes including:
- Enhance the public’s ability to manage minor ailments themselves;
- Improve the care of the most marginalized and deprived;
- Enhance accessibility to service provision;
- Improve the range of service provision through community pharmacies as recommended within the Community Pharmacy Strategy;
- Effect benefits for other parts of the service particularly General Medical Practices, Accident and Emergency Departments and Out-of-hours medical services providers.
Minor Ailments Service Documentation
BSO information about administering the service:
Northern Ireland Minor Ailments Scheme
Background information to minor ailments services:
http://www.npc.co.uk/MeReC_Briefings/2004/briefing_no_27.pdf (PDF 449 KB)
Treatment Algorithms
The following treatment algorithms are available for download on the BSO website:
- Chesty Cough
- Dry Cough
- Sore Throat
- Hayfever
- Headlice
- Athlete's Foot
- Diarrhoea
- Threadworms
- Vaginal Thrush
- Dhobie Itch
Background therapeutic information on some of the minor ailments being treated under the service
Winter ailments:
Hayfever:
- COMPASS Therapeutic Notes Minor Ailments Part 2: Hayfever (PDF 151 KB)
- http://www.npc.co.uk/ebt/merec/therap/other/resources/merec_bulletin_vol14_no5.pdf
Infestations:
General links
- Prodigy (Clinical Knowledge Summaries):
http://www.prodigy.nhs.uk/
