The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has confirmed that it is in discussions with NHS Employers about establishing a national minor ailments service (MAS) in England and Wales, similar to the one available in Scotland. A national minor ailments service has been a key policy of the PSNC for some time as it believes that it would benefit patients, pharmacies and the NHS by giving patients access to advice and treatments for minor conditions like coughs, colds, eczema and head lice, without the need to visit a GP or another urgent care service.

Welcoming the news, Mandeep Mudhar, Numark director of marketing, said: “We sincerely hope that the negotiations are successful and that a proper, fully dimensional service is launched with sensible remuneration and one that covers a wide range of common ailments.” Mr Mudhar added that a national minor ailments service would be “an opportunity that community pharmacy must grab and make a success of right from the outset”.