TO take the pressure off GPs and A&E this winter, people with coughs, colds and sore throats are being urged to go to their pharmacy first. Kate Liptrot reports.

THE health service is urging people with minor illnesses to get treatment from chemists first rather than GPs as the NHS faces a tough winter.

Last month the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, warned the NHS is facing unprecedented demand as it copes with an ageing population and a surge in visits during the winter.

Hunt announced a £300m boost to pay for more staff and extra bed space to cope with the expected spike in patients over the coming months but said patients should be encouraged to use other services.

It is a campaign that has spread throughout the country alongside the national campaign ‘Feeling under the weather?’ which promotes the benefits of acting fast to prevent symptoms from getting worse and resulting in the need for more significant care or treatment.

In York, Julian Sturdy, the MP for York Outer, visited the Haxby Group Pharmacy, to meet with staff at Haxby and Wigginton Health Centre.

Mr Sturdy, “We need to encourage more people to make better use of their local pharmacies; especially when people are suffering from colds and sore throats. Pharmacists are highly trained and are a more convenient option than visiting your local GP or A&E.

"It is clear that pharmacists can provide helpful advice to help prevent minor ailments from becoming more serious matters. I am pleased that the Haxby Group has a proactive pharmacy that plays an important role in the local community“.

Meanwhile, Liz Colling, Pharmacist and Chair of the North Yorkshire Pharmaceutical Committee, added: “Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals who can do far more than just dispense medicines. They are able to provide over the counter medicines and offer advice on how to treat most minor illness and, if they can’t provide the appropriate treatment, they will tell you the best course of action to take.

“The other benefit is that most pharmacies are open late and you don’t need an appointment, so it’s easy to just pop in and discuss any concerns you may have. Most pharmacies also have a separate consultation area so you don’t need to discuss your symptoms in front of other customers.

“So if you start to feel under the weather this winter, don’t wait to make an appointment with your GP, pop into your local pharmacy and let them get you back to good health.”

Labour politicians have said chronic underspending on the health service has created a crisis in A&E.

Earlier this year it was reported that treating common ailments like coughs and colds at community pharmacies could save the NHS over £1bn a year, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. A study carried out by the body concluded such a move would reduce the number of accident and emergency visits by 650,000 and GP consultations by 18m.