Wigan patients with minor illnesses urged to "self-care" rather than see GP

Surgeries are promoting ‘self-care’ where appropriate in a bid to save money on prescriptions and free up doctors’ time to see more complex patients.

In the year to June 2017, the NHS spent around £569million giving out medicines which could otherwise be purchased from pharmacies or shops.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the country have now been asked to stop routinely issuing over-the-counter remedies for common conditions.

These include colds, sore throat, migraines, diarrhoea, dry eyes, constipation, minor burns, aches and sprains and ulcers.

If someone were to go to their GP complaining about one of these ailments, surgery staff would advise them that they could manage it themselves.

Wigan council’s health and social care scrutiny committee were told on Monday that the self-care approach had been rolled out in parts of the borough.

Coun Eileen Rigby said: “It’s about educating people into not being babied. They’ve been used to going to the GP to get something which is more expensive to prescribe.

“I think a big percentage of the population do that already, and it’s about getting through to those who are so used to keeping scripts and passing them onto family members.”

Anna Swift, associate director of medicines management at Wigan Borough CCG, said pharmacies would also be promoted as the ‘first point of call’ for minor conditions.

“A lot of people use pharmacies to get prescriptions but don’t know that all staff can manage these conditions,” she said.

“They can help to identify minor conditions but can also identify any red flags which could mean they are more serious.”

But it has been suggested that CCGs should stop administering over-the-counter medicines to some residents living in care homes.

The NHS says its self-care guidance should be considered for elderly residents on an individual basis, and that patients with long-term and more complex conditions should continue to have their treatments prescribed.

Concerns were raised by several committee members including Coun Patricia Draper, who said: “You’re talking about the most vulnerable people in society who don’t go to the doctors being asked to self-prescribe.

“I find that very alarming.”

Ms Swift stressed that self-care was being introduced carefully in care homes and that it would only be promoted if appropriate for the individual.

The meeting also heard that those with mental health issues, serious illnesses like dementia, and learning disabilities would not be expected to self-prescribe.

“The GP would know if a person does not have the capacity for self-care,” added Ms Swift.