Portsmouth CCG has created Over The Counter (OTC) Self Care templates on SystmOne in response to NHS England guidance on conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care.
The aim of the template is to support clinicians in discussing Self Care with patients. Clinicians will be able to open the template of the condition and be able to view the OTC recommendations for that condition. Clinicians will also be able to view licensing restrictions for the OTC medication e.g. age, medical conditions, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
The templates are designed to read code as well as link clinicians directly (if require further information) to the related condition on NHS Choices web page to print or text to patient. The template is a tool and clinicians will need to use their clinical judgement when using the template.
Benefits of the templates:
The OTC Self Care templates were piloted for 3 months in GP practice before it was published to the rest of Portsmouth practices. The templates were found to have been used mostly by prescribing nurses (especially during triage consultations) and the feedback has been very positive.
