A campaign is being launched in south east Essex urging patients to buy medicines over the counter for minor ailments. Prescriptions for conditions such as dry skin and indigestion currently cost the local NHS more than £2m a year, with added pressure on GPs from patients seeking appointments when they could simply visit their local pharmacist instead.

NHS Southend Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Castle Point and Rochford CCG are raising the issue across social media and have set up information pages on their websites.

Simon Williams, Associate Director of Medicines Management for the NHS in south east Essex, said: “The cost to the NHS of a patient seeing a GP and using the prescription service to obtain a medicine is very high. By comparison, the cost to a patient of seeing their pharmacist and buying the same medication over the counter is often very low.

Dr José Garcia Lobera, local GP and Chair of Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Pharmacists are an important part of Southend’s local health system, offering advice and medication for minor conditions.

"Nationally, minor health problems lead to around 57 million GP consultations a year. Patients could save themselves and their GPs time if they went to their pharmacy instead. A better use of pharmacists across Southend would doubtlessly ease pressure on the borough’s GP appointments.”

“We are asking patients to just think again about using the prescription service for minor conditions and to #ThinkPharmacist.”

‘Over the counter’ medicines include painkillers to relieve the symptoms of sprains and strains as well as remedies for coughs and colds, creams for skin conditions, head lice shampoo, ear wax softeners, ointments and multivitamins as well as medicines for diarrhoea and constipation.