The NHS has dialled back on prescription medications to save GPs time and effort when it comes to treating minor conditions.
Patients are advised to go to their pharmacy or supermarkets to pick up over-the-counter treatments for several minor ailments, BirminghamLive reports. There are now 35 medical conditions that do not require a doctor's visit, and you can instead pick up medicines from any available store near you.
The NHS explained: "By reducing the amount the NHS spends on treating these minor health conditions, the NHS can give priority to treatments for patients with more serious conditions such as cancer and mental health problems." The NHS has compiled a list of the medical conditions that no longer require you to book a GP appointment.
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Medication for these illnesses will no longer require a doctor's prescription, following a public consultation that ran from December 2017 to March 2018. Here are the 35 conditions that you don't need to see a GP for:
- Acute sore throat
- Conjunctivitis
- Coughs, colds and nasal congestion
- Cradle cap
- Dandruff
- Diarrhoea (adults)
- Dry eyes/sore tired eyes
- Earwax
- Excessive sweating
- Haemorrhoids
- Head lice
- Indigestion and heartburn
- Infant colic
- Infrequent cold sores of the lip
- Infrequent constipation
- Infrequent migraine
- Insect bites and stings
- Mild acne
- Minor burns and scalds
- Mild cystitis
- Mild dry skin
- Mild irritant dermatitis
- Mild to moderate hay fever
- Minor conditions associated with pain, discomfort and fever (e.g. aches and sprains, headache, period pain, back pain)
- Mouth ulcers
- Nappy rash
- Oral thrush
- Prevention of tooth decay
- Ringworm/athlete's foot
- Sunburn
- Sun protection
- Teething/mild toothache
- Threadworms
- Travel sickness
- Warts and verrucae
However, there are exceptions to this list. Some patients may require prescriptions for a condition on the list for a variety of reasons, such as having a long-term condition, where over the counter medicine may not be effective. Probiotics and vitamins will also no longer be prescribed because people can get this from a supermarket or health food shop.
The NHS said: "A GP, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for a range of minor health conditions. This is because of government policy to reduce the amount of money the NHS spends on prescriptions for treating minor conditions that usually get better on their own.
"Before these changes in 2018, the NHS spent around £569 million a year on prescriptions for medicines that can be bought from a pharmacy or supermarket, such as paracetamol."
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