9 hours ago
6 million hours of A&E time taken up by people with minor ailments such as colds
See NHS list of conditions you can now get a quick consultation for at your local pharmacy amid warnings A&Es are being overwhelmed
Six million hours of time in A&E is being taken up by patients who could be treated at their local chemist.
This includes patients going to A&E with blocked noses, common colds, acne and requesting routine medication. In England 325,000 people visited A&E with a sore throat or a cold, costing the NHS £44 million that year alone. Some 62,000 people visited A&E with nose bleeds, 18,000 with blocked noses, 40,000 with eczema and 1,000 attended with acne. Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: 'Of course people with serious injuries should go to A&E but it should be a place for emergencies not the first place to go when faced with a minor ailment.
'Our analysis clearly shows a substantial number of visits to A&E could be better managed in a local pharmacy. This would be more convenient for patients, who could be treated in minutes on their doorstep and save substantial time and money in one of the busiest parts of our NHS.'
NHS England is trying to pay pharmacists to do more as the Government pushes for the health service to treat people closer to their homes. Commissioning pharmacies to care for more ailments could also reduce the burden on overstretched GPs.
The NHS Pharmacy First scheme means people can now be seen there for several common ailments; earache, sore throats, sinusitis, shingles, impetigo, urinary tract infections and infected insect bites and stings.
But new analysis shows people are still turning up in A&E for these conditions. This included 18,000 patients with infected insect bites and 196,000 urinary tract infections.
The NPA is calling for much greater awareness of Pharmacy First to encourage greater usage of chemists as a first port of call for certain health conditions. It is also calling on the UK Government to include additional conditions in England, such as constipation, diarrhoea and certain bacterial skin infections, to bring it into line with the Scottish government which runs the NHS there. It comes a week before the launch of the Ten Year Health Plan.
Henry Gregg added: 'The Government has a once in a generation opportunity to use the Ten Year Plan to turbo charge the role of community pharmacies who, properly funded, have a vital part to play in creating a neighbourhood health service.
'Investment in more clinical services in pharmacies will not only help to end the 8am scramble for a GP appointment but also help get patients out of hospitals and into the community.
'Pharmacies still face considerable funding pressures which need resolving and investment in them is key if the government are to shift care to people's local communities.'
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England clinical director for emergency care, said: 'The upcoming 10-Year Health Plan will see a shift of care from hospital to the community and we want the public to be aware of all the services available, so they don't always feel they have to go to A&E.
'Unless it's an emergency, your first port of call should always be calling NHS 111 or using 111 online, which can direct you to the most appropriate place – whether that be your local pharmacy, a walk-in centre, or clinical self-help advice.
'By ensuring everyone is using the right service for them, more people will be seen faster in the most appropriate place, and importantly vital life-saving A&E services will be kept for those patients who need it the most.'
