Self Care

Introduction

Self-care an important way to manage demand within the NHS. Supporting people to self-manage minor conditions will give people control over their own health and free up vital resources. 

The Benefits of Self Care

•Minor conditions take up approximately 57 million GP appointments a year.

•This takes up an hour a day on average for every GP.

•The cost of treating minor conditions is approximately £2 billion.

Promoting self-care and alternative options to using the GP or A&E for minor conditions will support people to be take charge of their own health.  

Prescribing

The cost of over-the-counter medications in 2021 and 2022 was over £9.5 million in Derby and Derbyshire. Some of this spend was due to complex and long-term conditions however a significant amount was spent on self-limiting conditions.

Our goal is to provide care that is safe, effective, and good value for money. However, we have a limited budget to spend on healthcare.

To help make sure resources are being used effectively, you can: 

•Reduce spend on treating self-limiting conditions.

•Reduce spend on conditions suitable for self-care

• Conditions suitable for self-care are where the person can buy over-the-counter treatments directly. Examples can be found in the table Self-care: Self Limiting Conditions (Table 1)
• Reduce spend on items with limited evidence of clinical effectiveness. Examples can be found in the table Self-care: Medicines with Little Evidence of Benefit (Table 2)

Community Pharmacy and Pharmacy First

Community pharmacies should be your first stop for help with minor illnesses. The Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme (CPCS) connects patients with a community pharmacist, offering convenient, same-day consultations. Practice reception staff can manage digital referrals directly, saving GP time and freeing up appointments.

The new Pharmacy First service expands on the CPCS. It allows patients to visit community pharmacies for care related to minor illnesses or urgent repeat medication needs. This service covers seven common conditions, enabling pharmacies to complete care using established clinical pathways. These conditions include:

•Acute otitis media (ear infections)

•Impetigo

•Infected insect bites

•Shingles

•Sinusitis

•Sore throat

•Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).

By enhancing the existing consultation services, Pharmacy First ensures faster, more accessible care for patients.

See NHSE information page on Pharmacy First.