Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald
NHS England has launched initiatives to extend the role of pharmacists in health care. A public education campaign, Stay Well Pharmacy, urges people to visit their local pharmacies as a first line of treatment for minor health problems such as stomach aches, sore throats, and common children’s illnesses. This could help avoid 18 million primary care appointments and more than 2 million emergency department visits for self-treatable conditions that cost GBP £850 million each year. In parallel, NHS England is increasing the number of clinical pharmacists in primary care teams to cover more than 40 percent of practices and nearly two-thirds of the population. This will allow doctors and nurses to focus on patients with more complex needs.
Source
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43002740
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/primary-care/pharmacy/stay-well-campaign/