Who knew? re antihistamines ?

It's good, isn't it, G23? A similar thing happened to me a while back when I asked at the pharmacy if they had sodium bicarbonate ear drops. The pharmacist said she'd prescribe them. I said, "Oh, it's OK, I'll pay for them" but she prescribed them anyway.

We are registered with our local pharmacy under that scheme Granny. As far as I am aware it is not available in England but may be in Wales and Ireland.
We don’t pay prescription charges either in Scotland and before there is a chorus of complaints Scotland chooses to spend money which we are entitled to on the health of the people. Every country in the U.K. spends its share as it sees fit. Ask your political representatives what they spend your allocation on.
Pharmacists are playing an increasing role in Scotland in assisting the NHS by dealing with minor medical problems leaving doctors free to deal with more serious issues.

That sounds a very good idea. I haven't heard of it before.

I’ve had the same experience of antihistamine prescription in the North East so it looks as if this covers at least Scotland and England.

I doubt if that covers England. Especially as they’ve recently introduced a list of even more things that are no longer available on prescription.

Theoretically it is UK wide. However, like a lot of non-medical prescribing, the exact ts&cs depend on the local health groups (I can't even remember what they are called now!)
Non-medical prescribing, usually by pharmacists, nurses and a few others (?paramedics) has been established for some years, but the administration of it has been rather bumpy!
I qualified as an independent nurse prescriber in 2007 (one of the first cohorts) and was able to save a lot of medical time by prescribing, and spend longer explaining and altering to suit individuals.
However, I have heard recently that a large number of community nurses (I think 50% but would stand corrected) are now unable to prescribe because the administration can't be sorted out. This is a shame as community nurses used to waste a lot of time trying to sort out prescriptions with GPs, and I was so pleased when I no longer had to do that.
maybe someone will be along with more up-to-date knowledge of how it works on the ground.

The minor ailments scheme in Scotland has worked very well for my family and I.
I am registered at the pharmacy, where I collect my prescriptions, so the pharmacist can check what is appropriate for me.

The Common Ailments Scheme doesn’t cover England, there is a scheme in England for people who are exempt from prescription services only.

In Wales The ‘Common Ailments Scheme’ allows pharmacists to assess and treat up to 26 minor conditions, with all medicines being given free of charge without the need for a prescription. The scheme is available in all community pharmacies in Wales. Patients must register with the pharmacy to use the scheme, and consultations are carried out in a private room. If the pharmacist decides you need to see a doctor, they will refer you.

Conditions covered by the scheme are: acne, athlete’s foot, back pain, chickenpox, cold sores, colic, conjunctivitis, constipation, diarrhoea, dry eyes, dermatitis, haemorrhoids, hay fever, head lice, indigestion, in-growing toenails, ringworm, mouth ulcers, nappy rash, oral thrush, scabies, sore throat, teething, threadworms, vaginal thrush, and verrucae.

I believe this is very similar to the scheme in Scotland.

We don’t have it in England well done to Scotland and wales sounds wonderful

My inderstanding from a few years ago is that Scotland abandoned prescription charges as (a) it cost more to process a prescription through the whole system than the cost of the actual item and (b) the proportion of those exempt from payment was so high it wasn't worthwhile charging the ones who had to pay. This information was gleened from a Chief Executive of a Scottish Health Board at the time.

4allweknow

My inderstanding from a few years ago is that Scotland abandoned prescription charges as (a) it cost more to process a prescription through the whole system than the cost of the actual item and (b) the proportion of those exempt from payment was so high it wasn't worthwhile charging the ones who had to pay. This information was gleened from a Chief Executive of a Scottish Health Board at the time.

Yes I've heard that too - it's more expensive to charge than to have a free system. I'd like to see a link (because I'd like to believe it)

I’ve learned something today. I was buying my antihistamines from Home Bargains. They’re not all that expensive, but if I can get it free, why not ?

And thanks Granny23