Self Care and minor health conditions
Treating minor health conditions is changing
Effective 29 March 2018, NHS England issued guidance that over the
counter items will no longer be routinely prescribed in primary
care. This means that your doctor, or other prescriber, will not
routinely prescribe medicines for minor health conditions that can
be purchased over the counter.*
Over the counter medicines are best for minor health conditions.
These can be bought from pharmacies and local shops without a
prescription. They are also often cheaper this way. You can get them
without an appointment or seeing a doctor.
In most cases the direct cost of over the counter medicines will be
lower than the combined cost to the NHS of a GP consultation,
buying, prescribing and then dispensing the medicine.
Minor health conditions are conditions that can
be treated through self care. They are conditions that
will:
-
Get better on their own
-
Can be treated without visiting the GP by patients buying over
the counter items directly from the local pharmacy
Minor health conditions include:
-
coughs, colds or sore throats
-
cold sores
-
conjunctivitis or dry eyes
-
constipation
-
diarrhoea
-
grazes
-
sprains
-
hay fever
-
head lice
-
indigestion and heartburn
-
infrequent migraines
-
mild cystitis
-
mouth ulcers
-
sunburn
-
stomach ache
-
warts and verrucas
Further information and *exceptions to the guidance can be found
through the Sutton
CCG website.
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