Each year millions of GP appointments are taken up with minor ailments that could have been dealt with by your local pharmacy. GP’s are severely overstretched and it’s important to only use an appointment when really necessary. Many thousands of appointments are also missed every year, costing the NHS a great deal of money and meaning time was lost when a patient who really needed an appointment could have used that time instead.
By using a pharmacy for your minor ailments, you are saving yourself time and effort too. There’s no need to wait for an appointment as you can just walk in and usually be seen straight away. This frees up your GP to deal with people whose current need is greater than yours. Pharmacists are trained in many things including Safe handling of medication. For details on Safe handling of medication training, see Tidal Training.
Pharmacists are trained to identify and treat a large number of common illnesses, as well as knowing a lot about medication! They are fully able to provide advice, suggest over-the-counter medicines which could clear up the problem without the need for a GP visit. They will always suggest you see a doctor if they think the problem is beyond the help of any over-the-counter medication.
Some regions of the UK are part of the Minor Ailments Scheme. This allows pharmacies to give medication on the NHS and supply help and advice on how to take care of a minor ailment yourself. There are regional variations, so ask in your local pharmacy to see what’s available in your area.
