Services Database Minor Ailment Scheme (Lancashire North CCG Area) – Pilot

The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund (PMCF) pilot “Opening Doors” has chosen to commission a pilot pharmacy minor ailment scheme from community pharmacies across Lancashire North CCG for the 61,000 patients registered to the 5 GP practices included in the PMCF pilot.

The pharmacy pilot has been commissioned to support the PMCF pilot by deflecting patients with self-limiting conditions from general practice into community pharmacy and thereby increase access to primary care services.

The minor ailment scheme pilot was planned to run from November 2014 until 1st August 2015, by which time it was envisaged sufficient data would be captured to enable future commissioners to make an informed commissioning decision to continue with the pharmacy minor ailment service or not. This pilot has now been extended until 31st March 2016.

The aim of this pharmacy pilot is to allow appropriate patients to be referred or to self-refer to their local community pharmacy. The community pharmacist will be able to treat a number of specified minor conditions and supply medicines from an agreed local formulary at NHS expense. No payment need be made if the patient is exempt from prescription charges. Those patients who pay prescription charges will be able to choose either to pay the prescription charge due, or purchase the medication at the normal ‘over the counter’ price.

The minor ailments have been selected because of their prevalence, the availability of pharmacy medicines for their treatment and the willingness of GPs to see their management transferred to pharmacies.

NHS England Lancashire requires pharmacists to conform with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education's (CPPE’s) Declaration of Competence (DOC) framework to demonstrate that pharmacists and staff are competent to deliver the minor ailment service see https://www.cppe.ac.uk/sp/sp4pop.asp?pid=189&ID=203

Medicines Counter Assistant qualified staff may be delegated to undertake the minor ailment consultation provided they adhere to a minor ailment scheme SOP and Sales of Medicines protocol. However, overall responsibility and accountability will remain with the responsible pharmacist.