Scottish minor ailment scheme.

[Gingerkittykat]

This morning I went to buy treatment for Thrush but the chemist refused to sell me it and put it through the minor ailments system instead where you get the medicine free. The chemist has just been taken over by a new owner.

I was shocked, they never asked for my income or a signature, just handed it over.

I'm wondering if they have some kind of scam going on where they are paid a dispensing fee by doing it that way which means they make more profit?

No scam; prescriptions are free in Scotland. Dare say he would have made more by selling it to you.

Yup free prescriptions.

I know you get free prescriptions but this was not a prescription. I walked in off the street and asked to buy an item which was available on the shelf. I get all of my GP and hospital prescriptions dispensed free so I know we don't pay for them.

I think they will make more by putting it through minor ailments from whatever fee they get for dispensing the medicine rather than the small profit from selling it.

I don't need thrush treatment for free, I would much rather pay for it.

I am on a low income and should probably ask about getting things through the minor ailment scheme. It is never offered to me.

They probably thought they were doing you a favour since everyone is furloughed and the economy has died.

The minor ailments is to free up GPs time. Pharmacists are very highly trained and perfectly capable of dispensing things that are routine themselves, without having to waste a GP appointment. It’s just a prescription that they issue instead of the GP and it gets put in your record the way a normal medicine on a prescription would be, so your GP knows you have it.

I think it's been extended during lockdown. I vaguely remember reading something about it in the 1000 s of emails I've had from the health board since February.

Its not a scam - read up on the scheme!