Community pharmacy minor ailment scheme cuts 30,000 GP appointments

Community pharmacies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have delivered more than 38,000 consultations since the launch of the scheme in January 2021

The Community Pharmacy Walk-In Consultation Service (WICS), offering treatment for various minor ailments, recorded 19,567 consultations in 2024.

This marks a 61 per cent increase compared to the 12,138 consultations recorded in 2023, according to data released by Community Pharmacy Cornwall (CPC) and obtained by The Pharmaceutical Journal.

Launched in community pharmacies across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in January 2021, the minor ailment scheme is commissioned by the NHS and CPC.

It enables locally accredited community pharmacists to supply prescription-only-medicines (POMs) for the treatment of several common conditions utilising patient group directions (PGDs) that Pharmacy First does not currently cover.

These include vaginal candidiasis (vaginal thrush), dermatitis, migraine, conjunctivitis, and emergency hormonal contraception.

Since its launch, the service has facilitated over 38,000 consultations, with 80 per cent of them resulting in advice or treatment that concluded the consultation in the pharmacy.

WICS data also indicates that the service has helped avoid an estimated 30,000 GP appointments and more than 500 inappropriate A&E visits since its inception.

The CPC said that nearly a quarter (23.2 per cent) of consultations provided under WICS involved patients registered with GPs outside Cornwall, who might otherwise have needed to visit a local GP as a temporary resident.

Alongside this self-referral service, community pharmacies in Cornwall provide Pharmacy First service, which was launched nationwide on 31 January 2024.

When the national scheme was introduced, overlapping PGDs were discontinued.

This means patients eligible for one of the seven Pharmacy First clinical pathways—acute otitis media, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat, and urinary tract infections—are no longer provided with a WICS consultation.

Community Pharmacy Walk-In Consultation Service was initiated to improve “access and choice” for people with minor ailments by promoting self-care through the community pharmacy, including provision of advice and where appropriate the supply of medicines under PGD without the need to visit the GP practice.

It also aims to enhance primary care capacity by reducing GP practice workload related to minor ailments.