Shropshire 's pharmacies extend their services in bid to cut GP queues
Pharmacies across Shropshire are now offering a range of extra services to help people gain access to medical advice and treatment at a more convenient place.
The new Community Pharmacy Extended Care Service allows people to visit a local pharmacy instead of their GP practice for a range of minor illnesses.
The service offers treatment for women aged between 16 and 64 with simple urinary tract infections (UTIs), children aged from three months to two years who have acute bacterial conjunctivitis, as well as infections including impetigo and those caused by eczema and insect bites.
Nigel Dugmore, a community pharmacist in Donnington, Telford, said: “The new service allows people to walk into their local participating pharmacy and seek advice and treatment from a qualified healthcare professional without an appointment or waiting time. In a busy pharmacy like ours, patients may need to wait five or 10 minutes.
“We are very pleased to be able to help people get the medical help they need quickly, easily and more locally too.
“The initiative helps to relieve pressure on GP practices, as we can help patients with minor ailments and healthcare concerns. This helps to keep appointments available for patients who need to see a doctor and reduce the pressure on local A&Es.
“The service is already proving popular at our pharmacy in Donnington, and we see about 70 patients every month – supplying them with antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines to help treat the infection."
Mr Dugmore added: “Clinical pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals and can help people with minor health concerns. They offer clinical advice, over-the-counter medicines, and most pharmacies have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues in private.
“People needn’t be embarrassed when consulting a pharmacist. We treat everyone in a professional manner and have experience of a wide range of common ailments.”
The news comes as the Government announced on Tuesday that it intends to allow more people to access health services without needing to see a GP under a plan launched by officials in England.
Patients will be able to use high street pharmacies for some common drug prescriptions and routine tests to ease the pressure on busy doctors.
NHS England says its plan will free up 15 million GP appointments over the next two years - around two per cent of the total, but some are concerned about how pharmacies will cope with extra demand.
A full list of pharmacies in Shropshire taking part in the extended care service can be found at shropshiretelfordandwrekin.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/Shropshire-Telford-and-Wrekin-1-and-2.pdf
