According to the latest figures from the NHS, more than 100,000 patients were seen by a pharmacist in June this year. A total of 118,123 people were given help with minor illnesses including sore throats and constipation, and those in urgent need of medicine were offered assistance after calling NHS 111 and being offered a same-day consultation with their local pharmacist.
This number is important, because it’s an increase of 83% compared to the same month last year, when only 65,512 people were treated. The data couldn’t come at a more important time - with the NHS England board meeting revealing expanded roles for community pharmacies as we move into winter.
“Our local pharmacies ensure hundreds of thousands of people every week get the support and medication they need and today’s figures show that in just one month, over 100,000 patients have also had consultations with their local pharmacist for minor illnesses - this means patients are getting the care they need quickly, but also in a convenient way that can fit in with their busy lives,” said Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive.
“We are committed to making access to NHS services as easy as possible for our patients - from this week, people can be referred for a consultation with their local pharmacy through the touch of a button through NHS 111 online and a new pilot will mean people can register for a local GP practice online within minutes.”
As of last week, NHS 111 Online is able to directly refer people to their high street pharmacist in order to get a consultation on the same day, rather than patients needing to call the already very busy phone line - and as pharmacists take the strain off GPs, the NHS is able to continue their work of digitising the nation’s healthcare system, with new search and registration functionality available on the NHS website, allowing people to find their nearest GP and register within minutes. At the moment, only 70 practices are available on the website, but there are plans to scale the service up to include 600 practices over the next few months.
“It is likely that we will face a busy and challenging winter and while we have already announced plans to boost capacity across our services, I am delighted that hardworking pharmacy teams are playing an even greater role. It is vital that people continue to use the NHS as they normally would if they are unwell so people should continue to use NHS 111 and as ever if it is life-threatening, call 999.”
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If you’re feeling under the weather and in need of some advice with regards to a minor illness, your first port of call should be your local pharmacist. With same-day consultations available in your community branch, pop in or give your local pharmacy team a call and get the help you need when you need it.