Minor Ailments Scheme

Every year, millions of us visit our GP with minor health problems that your local pharmacist could resolve. By visiting your pharmacy instead, you could save yourself time and trouble.

All pharmacists can recognise many common health complaints. They can give advice or, where appropriate, medicines that will help clear up the problem.

If your problem is more serious and needs the attention of a GP, your pharmacist will recognise this and advise you to see your GP instead. What’s more, many pharmacies are open in the evenings and on the weekends.

Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals. They are experts in medicine and can help with a number of conditions such as:

• skin conditions, such as mild acne and mild eczema
• coughs and colds, including nasal congestion and sore throat
• minor cuts and bruises
• constipation and haemorrhoids (piles)
• hay fever and allergies
• aches and pains, such as headaches, earache and back pain
• indigestion, diarrhoea and threadworms
• period pain and thrush
• warts and verrucae, mouth ulcers and cold sores
• athlete’s foot
• nappy rash and teething

The Scheme

If you’re exempt from paying prescription charges – i.e. because you are under 16 or over 60, for example, or you have a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) – you won’t pay for the medicine as it is essentially a prescription from the Pharmacist.