Services Database Minor Ailments Service (South Worcestershire Area)

The aims of the service are to ensure that patients access self-care advice for the treatment of minor ailments and where appropriate can be supplied with over the counter medicines, where eligible on prescription, in order to treat their minor ailment. This provides patients with an alternative and more accessible location from which to seek advice and treatment, rather than seeking treatment via a prescription from their GP or Out of Hours (OOH) Provider, or Emergency Departments (ED). 

Aims of the service:

• To reduce the number of ED, OOH and GP attendances due to minor ailments;
• To increase patient awareness of services and advice available from community pharmacies;
• Patients to access support for self-care and treatment for minor ailments through their community pharmacy at a time convenient to them.

The Service Provider shall ensure that all pharmacists involved in the provision of the service have relevant knowledge and have completed the required training:

• the CPPE package on Minor Ailments;
• the CPPE package Safeguarding Children or have an understanding of the RPSGB Guidance on Child Protection (available to members of RPSGB in archived guidance on their  website) and to be aware of local Child Protection guidance; and
• continue, via CPD, to keep up to date with guidance issued  around the treatment of minor ailments and OTC medicines.

The Service Provider must ensure that all medicine counter staff are trained to refer each request for the minor ailment service to the pharmacist. If an accredited pharmacist is  unavailable, staff should be trained to direct patients to another pharmacy offering the service (after first checking that an accredited pharmacist is available). Alternatively, or where  no other pharmacists are available the patient should be directed to an alternative provider (e.g. GP, Minor Injuries Unit, out-of-hours services).

All staff involved in the delivery of the Service must attend any additional training as directed by the Council.