Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on levels of self care for minor ailments.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, fewer people attended general practitioner (GP) surgeries and emergency departments. The period also saw an increase in use of NHS 111, with triaged calls increasing by 12.4% in April-October 2020 compared to the same period last year. The proportion of calls where patients were not recommended to attend another service or to seek advice from a pharmacy increased from 27.9% to 32.6% of all calls.

This may mean that some people utilised self-care for some minor ailments, which would include seeking advice and over-the-counter treatments from pharmacists. While some minor ailments can be treated through self-care, the public should continue to seek and access care through NHS 111, their GP, and 999 if it is an emergency.