FOR years the high street chemist has been the source of a wide variety of medicines for our ailments and ills. But now their services are being expanded to offer diagnosis and treatment for minor conditions as well as pills and potions prescribed by your GP.
The no appointment necessary scheme has been launched nationally by the Scottish Government in eight chemists – two of which are in Edinburgh.
It has been hailed on many fronts as being a way to encourage busy people with busy lives in for a chec
k-up on a range of everyday conditions.
Others, however, see it as a dumbing down of the health service and suggest that Holyrood is simply cutting corners with regard to proper patient care.
If the pilot, which runs until 2010, is a success, it could see an expansion of the scheme, currently taking place in the city centre Boots shop at Shandwick Place and a pharmacy in the Inch.
The idea is to take the heat off GPs who are contacted for ailments easily treated by a lesser-qualified professional.
People can attend unannounced and be diagnosed and treated for a number of minor conditions and injuries, saving them contacting a GP and possibly waiting days for an appointment – not to mention negotiating time off work.
Trained nurses will be on hand to treat minor injuries in the pharmacies, while specialists in sexual health and smoking will also be present at certain times for advice and treatment on both issues.
If a complaint or injury is too severe or worrying for them to deal with or diagnose, they will advise the person to visit their GP as soon as possible.
There are future possibilities for the two city outlets to have specialists in addictions available, as is currently the case at the Glasgow Central Station pharmacy.
The Scottish Government hopes, if the pilot is a success and expanded, a new culture of walk-in treatment for minor issues could alter the way the NHS works.
Pat Murray, NHS Lothian's director of pharmacy, welcomed the initiative.
She said: "We are delighted to be involved in the pilot programme, which will see community pharmacists playing an increasingly key role in providing healthcare services, advice and support.
"As people lead ever busy lives, the pilot pharmacy walk-in service will offer the Lothian population a number of advantages. These include greater access to a wide range of health services without the need to make an appointment, such as smoking cessation and sexual health, at times more convenient to people's lifestyles. It will also offer an alternative, in some cases, to needing to see a GP.
"A great deal of planning is currently under way to ensure that our two pilot sites are ready to deliver this extended service, tailored to meet local needs."
It is also hoped it will help bridge a gap with people who have a health complaint but don't regard it as important enough to waste a GP's time.
The move is part of the Pharmacy Contract initiative, which has gradually passed more powers from GPs on to pharmacists in a bid to reduce workloads on stressed doctors and make life easier for patients.
Pharmacists have recently been given more power to prescribe medication, which has been welcomed by health chiefs. Already more than 20 applications have been made to provide that service since it was introduced two years ago.
The Shandwick Place Boots is likely to attract city centre workers who can pop in before or after work, or during their lunch break. The Inch facility will be aimed at more of a community-based need.
While Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon doesn't want to predict the outcomes of the trial, it is known she is optimistic of further moves in future to make it simpler for people to be treated at pharmacies.
There are some concerns surrounding the project, however, including fears too much responsibility may be transferred from GPs to pharmacists and the risk of misdiagnosis would be higher as a result.
The British Medical Association remains unsure. A spokesman said: "We will need to wait and see how this reduces the demands on GPs and it will be interesting to see what the trials show."
The Scottish Patients' Association said the scheme had to be monitored carefully before being extended and that the very worst case scenario of taking matters away from GPs could prove dangerous.
Margaret Watt, the organisation's chairwoman, said: "We do welcome this and we are glad it is here, but we do have reservations too. The important thing is patients do not forget that GPs are still here – these are not a replacement. If you cut your hand on a tin then that is fine to nip to the pharmacy rather than a GP, but we wouldn't want people to use this for absolutely anything and be palmed off with aspirin.
"Sometimes something very small can be just the beginning of something very big. People are already misdiagnosed by GPs from time to time and can lose their life as a result, so you would have to think this is a possibility with the pharmacies.
"We hope that if they are unsure in the pharmacy, people are told to go to the GPs for a more thorough check."
The full article contains 895 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
