Services Database Minor Ailments Service (Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley Areas)

The aim of the service is to improve access to healthcare for patients within NHS West Kent, by enabling community pharmacists to provide advice and medicines where appropriate for an agreed range of minor ailments including hay fever.

The consultation will consist of:

• a patient assessment by pharmacist/trained staff;
• provision of advice;
• provision of medicine(s) from the agreed formulary and protocols, appropriate to the patient’s condition, if required (ideally for one minor aliment at a time);
• completion of an FPPharm (pharmacist’s prescription) ensuring that the patient has completed and signed the declaration;
• Making an entry on the patient’s PMR and labelling the medicine(s); and
• if a patient is not exempt from prescription charges, and the cost of medicine(s) is less than a prescription charge, then the retail price of the drug should be paid.

If a patient presents again within two weeks with the same symptoms, the pharmacist should make a professional decision as to whether the patient should be referred to their surgery, or continue treatment via the Minor Aliment Scheme.

Hay fever patients
Only patient’s previously diagnosed by their GP as having hay fever, may be included in the hay fever scheme. As such, patients must initially be referred into the scheme via a letter from their GP. 

Please note, this service has been decommissioned.

All pharmacists should complete the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) Minor Ailment distance learning course. Staff should also attend training updates when provided by the CCG.