News | Minor ailments

Community pharmacies get four referrals per day from GPs in ‘game changer’ pilot

GPs are sending up to four patients per day to community pharmacies in the south west of England as part of a national referral pilot, a National Pharmacy Association lead has said.…

Scotland should not limit prescribing of OTCs, RPS tells Scottish Parliament

Jonathan Burton, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Scottish Pharmacy Board, has told members of the Scottish Parliament that it would be “ridiculous” if decisions on which medicines NHS practitioners are allowed to prescribe were based on their availability over the count…

Relief from indigestion: a visual guide

Indigestion and heartburn affect four in ten people. This guide illustrates the options available over the counter for managing symptoms and how they work.…

NHS launches movie-inspired campaign to encourage public to visit their pharmacist

Patients are being encouraged to “take the drama out of minor illnesses” by visiting their pharmacist, as part of a movie poster-inspired campaign to encourage greater use of community pharmacies.…

Top five infographics of 2019

Medicines-related harm is an issue close to the hearts of all of those who work in pharmacy, making our infographic on medication errors the most popular of 2019.…

We should not write off vitamin D supplementation — especially in pregnancy

Testing all pregnant women for insufficient vitamin D levels is expensive, but two systematic reviews suggest that providing them all with vitamin D supplements could reduce risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and low birth weight.…

How our pharmacy became the first in North Wales to write prescriptions for minor illnesses

Superintendent pharmacist Steffan John shares his experience of treading new ground in the launch of North Wales’ first acute minor illness service, led by independent prescribing pharmacists.…

Community pharmacies offering minor ailment schemes fall by a third in 2018/2019

The number of community pharmacies offering minor ailment schemes has fallen by a third since 2017/2018, data published by NHS Digital have shown.…

Number of common ailments consultations per pharmacy nearly doubles in 2018/2019

The number of consultations per pharmacy given through the Common Ailments Service (CAS) in Wales has more than doubled in the last year, according to official statistics.…

Cold and flu: we need a sector-wide standard for helping patients to self care

Setting a high quality standard for helping patients to self manage their cold and flu symptoms benefits everyone working in the healthcare sector.…

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