In the Thick of Summer, Minor Ailments Don’t Need a Major Response

In the thick of summer, when the NHS and HSE often brace for a seasonal spike in minor ailments — from hay fever and insect bites to mild gastro bugs and skin irritations — one truth stands tall: many of these conditions don’t need a GP appointment. They don’t need A&E. In fact, they barely need more than timely advice, the right product, and the confidence to self-manage.

So where should people go? The answer has always been right on our doorstep: the community pharmacy.

Re-Centring the Conversation Around Pharmacy

With the healthcare ecosystem evolving faster than ever, bolstered by Pharmacy First, Pharmacist Independent Prescribing rights, and the NHS’s newly published 10-Year Plan, it’s time we re-centre the conversation.

Among the shiny innovations and digital breakthroughs, we must not forget the fundamental value of Over-The-Counter (OTC) consultations and what they truly represent: accessible, effective, and immediate care.

The NHS 10-Year Plan: A Blueprint That Needs a Solid Ground Floor

The latest NHS 10-Year Health Plan sets an ambitious course. It talks about “digital front doors”, personalised care, integrated records, and AI-driven diagnostics. But the heartbeat of the plan is strikingly simple: improving access and outcomes for patients, while relieving pressure on an overstretched workforce.

To do that, we need to reduce avoidable GP consultations and hospital visits, especially those involving self-treatable conditions. And that’s exactly where community pharmacies come in.

Self-care, especially with pharmacist-led support, isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a foundational layer of this whole strategy.

When the public chooses to speak to their pharmacist instead of booking a GP appointment for mild eczema, constipation, or a sore throat, it:

• Saves the system money
• Preserves GP time for more complex issues
• Empowers patients to take control of their own health

Why OTC Consultations Still Matter (and Always Will)

In all the talk about new services — Pharmacy First everyday ailments, sore throat service, blood pressure checks and contraception services — it’s easy to forget that the bread and butter of pharmacy hasn’t changed. OTC consultations are the original “walk-in clinic”. Quick. Effective. Personal.

But this isn’t just about selling paracetamol or hay fever tablets. It’s about:

• Identifying red flags and referring patients when needed
• Educating patients about symptom management and prevention
• Helping build health literacy, one of the biggest predictors of long-term health outcomes

Too often, the potential of the OTC consultation is underplayed. It’s not a product transaction; it’s a clinical interaction — and a vital one at that.

Pharmacy Infrastructure: Ready and Waiting

The beauty of community pharmacy is that the infrastructure is already there: high street presence, trained professionals, access to medicines, digital platforms, and crucially, public trust. In many areas, pharmacies are more accessible than GPs or urgent care centres.

But in order to fully realise this potential, we need to get the sequencing right. Before we build the high-tech tower, we need a rock-solid foundation. That means fully integrating self-treatable ailment management into the national strategy — giving it the respect, resources, and attention it deserves.

Healthcare Burnout and Workflow Fatigue: Let’s Not Repeat Past Mistakes

Innovation is exciting, but if it’s not mindful of the real-life workflow of healthcare professionals, it will fail.

We cannot simply add layers of tech or services without considering the user at the heart of it all: the pharmacist, the technician, the counter assistant. Burnout is real, and the pressure on staff is mounting.

Every new solution must work with current systems, not against them. It should streamline, not complicate. Pharmacy teams must feel empowered, not overwhelmed.

Health tech companies and policymakers alike need to design with the operator in mind — not just the patient or the algorithm. Let’s stop assuming “efficiency” means the same thing to a developer as it does to a dispenser in a busy community pharmacy on a Friday afternoon.

A Call to Action: Patients, Professionals & Innovators

So here’s the message this July:

• To the public: Embrace community pharmacy as your first port of call for minor health issues — not as a last resort, but as a go-to hub of trusted, accessible care.
• To healthcare professionals: Let’s not shy away from advocating for our bread-and-butter services. OTC consultations are not second-tier — they are frontline.
• To health tech companies and strategists: Prioritise user-centred design. Build tools that support real workflows. Empower the workforce before pushing digital transformation.

Because ultimately, all this innovation — including AI, automation, digital triage — only exists for one reason: to help people live healthier, better lives.

And it all starts with getting the basics right.

Let’s not overlook the power of a quick, compassionate, pharmacist-led consultation. It might just be the simplest and smartest step we take in fixing the healthcare system.

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