Feb 12, 2018

Take sick children to pharmacies first, parents told

Parents of young children with minor illnesses should take them to pharmacies rather than GPs or A&E, a new NHS England campaign says. GPs' leaders said parents of children with a very high temperature that doesn't go away should still seek help from a medical expert. Its survey of more than 2,000 people in England found 35% of parents of children under five would go to a GP if their child had a minor illness, such as earache, diarrhoea or stomach ache, while 5% would go directly to A&E. The NHS survey also found that only 16% of adults would go to a pharmacist first if they were similarly unwell. The Patients Association said it was important parents did not feel put off from seeing a doctor if they thought something more serious was wrong. "Equally, we wouldn't want to see parents put off taking their children to see a doctor if they have any suspicion that something more serious could be wrong."

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