GPs swamped with minor ills

Coughs, colds and other minor ailments which can be treated at home are costing the NHS an astonishing £2 billion each year, health experts have warned.

A report published by the Self-Care Campaign said that around 51.4 million of us go to the GP with minor health problems.

"We are now a society in which the common disturbances to good health, such as coughs and colds, account for nearly one fifth of GP workload", the report states. This has resulted in the NHS becoming "a victim of a demand-led culture."

If more people had the confidence to recognise and treat minor ailments, GPs would then have more time to spend on patients with serious illness, the group said.

In addition, nearly half of GP visits for minor health complaints were by people aged between 16 to 59, yet children and young people need the service most.

The group have published a manifesto which recommends doctors and nurses help patients recognise and manage minor health ailments.

Dr Paul Stillman, a GP in Crawley, Sussex, and a GP trainer with the British Postgraduate Medical Federation, said: “There are real advantages for everyone if we can encourage people to take greater control over the management of their minor ailments.

"Self care does not mean no care – it means giving people the tools to make an informed choice."

Top 10 minor ailments and number of yearly GP visits:

• Back pain 8.4m
• Dermatitis 6.8m
• Heartburn and indigestion 6.8m
• Nasal congestion 5.3m
• Constipation 4.3m
• Migraine 2.7m
• Cough 2.6m
• Acne 2.4m
• Sprains and strains 2.2m
• Headache 1.8m

The Self Care Campaign is made up of health professionals from the Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS Alliance, National Association of Primary Care and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, who funded the research.

This article was published on Tue 16 March 2010