Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact assessment they have carried out on the possible decommissioning of the Minor Ailments Scheme.

No assessment of the impact of decommissioning of local Minor Ailment Schemes (MAS) has been undertaken nationally. MASs are currently commissioned locally by the National Health Service according to need. A pilot digital minor illness referral service (DMIRS) commenced last year in the North East with direct referrals from NHS 111 to community pharmacy. Building on this three further DMIRS pilots, supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund, were launched in November 2018, in Devon, London and East Midlands. An evaluation will inform next steps.