Treating minor ailments in pharmacy could save the NHS £1.1 billion a year, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

Research by the RPS shows that treating common ailments like coughs and sore throats in pharmacy costs £29.30 per patient, compared to £147.09 per patient in A&E and £82.34 per patient in GP practices.

RPS president Mr Ash Soni said: “Pharmacists are central to relieving the ever-increasing demand on A&E and GPs and enabling them to focus their skills on diagnosing and treating patients needing their care.

“The NHS must act urgently to provide a nationwide common ailment service through all community pharmacies in England. At present, the service is commissioned locally and only one in three pharmacies are able to provide it.”

The study calculates that three per cent of all A&E consultations and 5.5 per cent of GP appointments for common ailments could be handled in community pharmacy, totalling 650,000 A&E visits and 18 million GP appointments. Diverting these patients to pharmacy could save £1 billion annually.

The RPS is calling for the NHS in England to provide a national common ailments service in community pharmacies. The scheme would provide NHS treatment for specific minor ailments within local pharmacies and all patients who are entitled to free prescriptions would still receive medication for free.