What can this service offer?

This is an NHS service to help support and reduce the pressure on GP appointments. If you need advice or treatment for an everyday minor illness, we will refer you to a trained Community Pharmacist.

 

What conditions can the clinical pharmacist treat? 

Bites and stings

Cold and flu symptoms

Congestion (blocked runny nose, hay fever, excess mucus)

Ears (Wax, blocked)

Eyes (conjunctivitis, dry, runny, or sore eyes)

Gastric (Bowel issue, constipation, heartburn, indigestion, haemorrhoids, and vomiting)

General muscular pain (sprains and strains)

Skin conditions (ache, athletes foot, rashes, warts, verruca’s)

Mouth and throat conditions (cold sores, ulcers, sore throat) 

 

What conditions are not referred to a Clinical Pharmacist? 

Children under the age of one year

Immunosuppressed patients

Severe Symptoms

Pregnant patients

Symptoms or conditions that have lasted for more than 3 weeks.

Has not responded to over-the-counter medication

 

What happens when I see the Community Pharmacist? 

The referral from the GP will share personal details with the Clinical Pharmacist about your minor illness.

The pharmacist will contact you to arrange a consultation on the same day, if we offer to refer you later in the day the pharmacist may contact you the next day. The pharmacist may call you back or offer you a face-to-face consultation.

You will be asked about your medical history and current symptoms in the same way which the GP would ask about them.

The pharmacist will then provide you with advice and prescribe medication to you should they feel the need to.

If the pharmacist feels that you need to be seen by a GP urgently then they will call or send the referral back the us to ensure that you are seen.  You may also be referred back to us to arrange a non-urgent follow up appointment with a GP.

 

We undertook a recent study, choosing 25 referrals at random between the four local pharmacies, this showed that:-

40% of referrals - a GP appointment was completely avoided.

30% of the referrals - patients were spoken to or seen routinely by the local Community Pharmacist, which help reduce the pressure on the same day emergency on call list at the practice.

30% of the referrals - the patients had to speak to or see a GP urgently.

70% of referrals had a favourable outcome - these appointments helped reduce pressure on the practice or an appointment was completely avoided.