Minor Ailment Service toolkit

The below documents constitute the Minor Ailments Service toolkit (published April 2018):

• PSNC Briefing 022/18: Building a business case for a Minor Ailment Service;
• Commissioning a community pharmacy Minor Ailment Service (business case);
• Appendix 1&2 – Business case figures;
• Minor Ailment Service – Embedded business case;
• Minor Ailment Service – Service costing estimate;
• Minor Ailment Service – Service specification;
• Minor Ailment Service – Implementation plan;
• Minor Ailment Service – Patient Group Directions: Links to useful resources;
• Minor Ailment Service – GP practice briefing document;
• Minor Ailment Service – Template letter for GP practices (without PGDs);
• Minor Ailment Service – Template letter for GP practices (with PGDs); and
• PharmOutcomes – Guide to setting up a minor ailments service.

The links below are to a nationally negotiated template service specification (developed and agreed by PSNC, the Department of Health and NHS Employers). LPCs and contractors are able to negotiate to provide services in accordance with this specification where a local need for the service is determined. Alternatively LPCs, contractors or the service commissioner are free to develop their own local services in response to identified needs.

A revised service specification is also available as one of the resources in the Minor Ailment Service toolkit (link above).

Minor Ailment template service specification (Microsoft Word)

Minor Ailment template service specification (PDF)

PSNC Services Case Studies Hub

PSNC Think Pharmacy prospectus: Minor ailment service via PGD (June 2019)

PSNC Briefing 044/17: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services data (July 2017) 
This PSNC Briefing provides details of an analysis carried out by Pinnacle Health Partnership of data from Minor Ailment Services (MAS) commissioned from community pharmacies and collected via the PharmOutcomes system.

PSNC Briefing 043/17: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services in England (July 2017)
Following a review of Minor Ailment Service (MAS) service specifications and other associated documents, PSNC has conducted an analysis on the different MAS commissioned across England. This PSNC Briefing provides a summary of this analysis which may be of particular interest to LPCs developing proposals for MAS in their area or those who are reviewing existing MAS.

Service case study: New GP2Pharmacy service in South Tyneside (January 2019)

PSNC website: Community Pharmacy – helping provide better quality and resilient urgent care (Updated Nov 2015)
Resources developed with NHS England, including a winter ailments service.

Service case study: Devon pharmacy teams help more than 8,000 patients in Pharmacy First scheme (Sep 2015)

PSNC Briefing 045/15: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services Data (Aug 2015)
This PSNC Briefing provides details of an analysis carried out by Pinnacle Health Partnership (PHP) of data from Minor Ailment Services (MAS) commissioned from community pharmacies and collected via the PharmOutcomes system. Please note, this Briefing has been superseded by PSNC Briefing 044/17: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services data so please refer to the newer version for the most up-to-date information.

PSNC Briefing 038/15: PSNC Update on negotiations on a national Minor Ailments Advice Service (Jul 2015)
PSNC had hoped that it would be able to reach agreement with the NHS on such a service as part of the 2015/16 settlement and in lengthy discussions with the NHS we had developed a detailed proposal for this. NHS England subsequently decided not to pursue this. The Briefing contains a more detailed update on negotiations on a national Minor Ailments Advice Service.

PSNC Briefing 006/15: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services in England (Feb 2015)
Following an email survey and a review of minor ailment service (MAS) service specifications and other associated documents, PSNC has conducted an analysis on the different MAS commissioned across England. This PSNC Briefing provides a summary of this analysis which may be of particular interest to LPCs developing proposals for MAS in their area or those who are reviewing existing MAS. Please note, this Briefing has been superseded by PSNC Briefing 043/17: Analysis of Minor Ailment Services in England so please refer to the newer version for the most up-to-date information.

PSNC Minor ailments service flyer (Nov 2014)
This flyer is for use in discussions with local commissioners.

PSNC Briefing 093/13: Urgent and Emergency Care (Sep 2013)
Urgent and emergency care in England is currently under review.  This Briefing has been issued to assist LPCs in their discussions on urgent care at local level to promote community pharmacy’s role in tacking these challenges, and to highlight key areas where community pharmacy can support the provision of care and reduce demands on GPs, NHS 111 and A&E.

PSNC Briefing 092/13: Business Case for Minor Ailment Service (Sep 2013)
This Briefing provides an evidence based business case for a Minor Ailment Service which LPCs can use at a local level and is intended to assist in making their negotiations more efficient.

PSNC and PAGB submission to DH on minor ailments (Dec 2007)

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – The value of community pharmacy: full report and summary report.
This report contains a chapter which provides PwC’s assessment of the value associated with community pharmacy’s current role in providing minor ailments services in England.

Presentation at the Pharmacy Show: Why not pharmacy first? – Sue Taylor & David Bearman (Oct 2015) (If prompted, password is: pharmacy15)

Royal Pharmaceutical Society – NHS National Minor Ailment Service animation (May 2015)

Pinnacle Health/PharmOutcomes – Flash Card on minor ailments (Oct 2013) (for LPC use in discussions with commissioners. Hard copies of the flash card can be obtained by emailing helpdesk@phpartnership.com)

‘Think Pharmacy’ poster – Common illnesses (Dec 2012)