Local pharmacies help ease pressure on GP surgeries

A MELKSHAM pharmacist is helping to highlight the importance of community pharmacies and their ability to help relieve pressure on GP surgeries. 

Recently it was reported that in Wiltshire, GP surgeries have seen a “significant increase” in demand for GP services, and patients have been encouraged to make use of community pharmacies for minor illness and injury. 

And according to figures, shared by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), in England, local pharmacies can help save the NHS half a million GP appointments and 70,000 A&E or NHS walk-in visits every week. 

The PSNC – which promotes and supports the interests of all NHS community pharmacies in England – also says that local pharmacies have been key to the UK’s frontline response to Covid-19. 

In Melksham, the general public can walk into their community pharmacy and receive professional advice and support – often around minor illness and the supply of over-the-counter medications (as appropriate).  

A pharmacist working in Gompels Pharmacy on Bank Street, Andrew Hobson, has described his positive experience of consultations with patients in the community pharmacy after direct referrals from other health care providers such as 111, and more recently GPs. 

He said, “Referrals to community pharmacy have a great impact on patient care. Patients receive a confidential one-to-one consultation with a highly skilled healthcare professional, the pharmacist, once a referral has been made.  

“The patient receives advice, and where necessary, either the purchase of an over-the-counter product or an emergency supply of a patient’s medication if they have run out.  

“The satisfaction rates amongst patients are exceedingly high and it is helping to reduce the pressures on hospital A&E departments.   

“Only last week I had a patient who had misplaced their inhaler on a Saturday morning. A 111 referral came through to my pharmacy and following a consultation, I was able to supply her with the required inhaler as an NHS supply, without the need for the patient to wait for an out-of-hours doctor or filling up an A&E waiting room.  

“The patient also took the opportunity to consult me about Covid-19 vaccination and I managed to allay her concerns. She left the consultation saying that she would now get herself vaccinated. A patient win, a public health win and a pharmacy win.” 

About the option for GP surgeries to refer directly into the pharmacy, he said, “[It] will go some way to reducing the stress currently being experienced by our GP colleagues due to the pandemic. 

“Community pharmacy is willing and more than able to deal with many of the daily requests for GP consultations and as a profession, we are eager to help with all aspects of the current healthcare crisis.” 

Local community pharmacist and community pharmacy Primary Care Network lead for Melksham and Bradford on Avon, Ruth Emmett, added, “Patients have been extremely grateful for pharmacy consultations, and we are excited about starting to receive GP referrals too.    

“We want to give patients hope that they can see a professional who is able to deal with their ailments. We don’t want patients waiting long periods of time for their symptoms to be addressed. 

“On the small amount of occasions that we cannot manage the condition within the pharmacy, we have appropriate onward referral methods, which instils confidence in our patients that they are being heard.” 

Picture: Gompels Pharmacy’s Andrew Hobson.