19 October 2014: the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) called on the NHS in England to provide a national common ailments service through community pharmacies. It followed the publication of research that showed common ailments, such as coughs and sore throats, cost the NHS an extra £1.1bn a year when patients are treated at A&E or GP surgeries rather than at community pharmacies.
The RPS spoke to a number of media outlets about this research, including BBC Breakfast, BBC News, BBC Online, BBC Radio 5 Live, STV News and Channel 4 News.
Speaking to the BBC News channel, RPS spokesperson Deborah Evans said: “With an overburdened NHS, we’ve got to look at the most effective way of using resources across the system. We’re all incredibly busy whichever part of the system we work in, but it’s also about patients and the public having access to services when they need it to get reassurance, advice and treatment. The whole point of having a common ailments service available through every pharmacy in the country, that the NHS supports and funds, is that it’s a more cost-effective way of using resources.”