NHS Minor Ailment Service

What is the NHS Minor Ailment Service?

Everyone can go to their pharmacist for advice or to buy a medicine for a minor illness or ailment. This is a new NHS service. It means that if your pharmacist thinks you need it then they can give you a medicine on the NHS. It will also save you making an appointment with your GP simply to get a prescription.

Who is the service for?

You can use the NHS Minor Ailment Service if:

  • You are registered with a GP surgery in Scotland, and you don’t live in a nursing or residential care home

How does it work?

  • You register for the service with the community pharmacy of your choice
  • You don’t have to make an appointment. You can go along at a time that suits you
  • Your consultation will always be with a qualified pharmacist
  • If your pharmacist thinks that you need a medicine or product to treat your symptoms, this will be dispensed to you

How do I register?

You can register for the NHS Minor Ailment Service at a community pharmacy of your choice. You can do this at any time. Your pharmacist will ask you for some details – your name, date of birth, gender, and postcode.Your pharmacist completes a form which you must sign to register for the service. Your pharmacist will print a separate form for each member of your family, including children.
You can only register with one community pharmacy at a time for the NHS Minor Ailment Service.

If you want to go to another community pharmacy for the NHS Minor Ailment Service, you can, but you will need to register with the new pharmacy.

If you do register with a new community pharmacy you will no longer be registered at the pharmacy where you were registered before.

You still have to go to your GP if:

  • Your pharmacist suggests you should, or you need a medicine that you can only get on prescription from your GP

For a copy of this document please go to NHS Minor Ailment Service where you can view or download this leaflet.