Practices in England have been provided guidance on reducing the prescribing of Over-the-Counter Medicines (OTC) for acute/self-limiting conditions. Pharmacists in the community are well placed and experienced to provide and support for these acute and limiting conditions. If the pharmacist thinks a patient needs treatment to help with symptoms, they can recommend an OTC item that can be purchased, or they can provide information about self-care service. Often OTC medicines are cheaper to purchase compared to getting them on the NHS.
With this in mind the GPs at Hill Top Services will no longer be prescribing items that can be purchased over the counter for this self-limiting condition, except in exceptional circumstances e.g. long term/chronic conditions like arthritis and chronic skin conditions.
