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Minor ailment service in Scotland a hit with patients

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Minor ailment service in Scotland a hit with patients

Significant numbers of people in Scotland who use the minor ailment service rated the scheme 10 out of 10 for satisfaction and the experience of their consultations as “excellent,” according to an official report.

The report, commissioned by by Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS), found nearly 90% of those who responded to a survey gave the service maximum marks for satisfaction while “an overwhelming majority” gave excellent appraisals.

A survey, believed to be the first of its kind for a community pharmacy service north of the border, was carried out by Robert Gordon University and the University of Strathclyde and focused on people who accessed the service in June and July 2018. CPS said 1,121 questionnaires were returned.

Some 60% of people who used the service said they would have gone to their GP if they had been unable to access it at their pharmacy while others said they would have bought over-the-counter medicines, failed to treat their condition, turned to the internet for help or visited A&E without it.

Nearly 90% felt they had adequate privacy to discuss their problem while over 60% agreed that pharmacist access to their record “would enhance the care that they were able to provide.”

Martin Green, chair of the board at CPS, said: “This report was designed to give us tangible data on the reasons why people use the minor ailment service, what they think of it and which alternative NHS service they would have used if this was unavailable to them.

“The evidence is clear - the minor ailment service is extremely popular and saves GP time.”

There is currently no national minor ailment scheme in England.

 

 

 

Picture: Oleksii Liskonih (iStock)

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