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
CSA information about administering the service:
http://www.centralservicesagency.com/display/ni_minor_ailments_scheme2
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
CSA 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
Hayfever:
- COMPASS Therapeutic Notes Minor Ailments Part 2: Hayfever (PDF 151 KB)
- http://www.npc.co.uk/MeReC_Bulletins/2003Volumes/Vol14no5.pdf
(PDF 329 KB)
Infestations:
- http://www.npc.co.uk/MeReC_Bulletins/MeReC_Bulletin_Vol18_No4_main.html
General links
- Prodigy (Clinical Knowledge Summaries):
http://www.prodigy.nhs.uk/
