Community Pharmacy

Minor Ailment Service (MAS)

(Pharmaceutical care for common, self-limiting conditions)

Background

The Minor Ailment Service (MAS) allows patients, who are exempt from prescription charges, to register with and use a community pharmacy as the first port of call for the treatment of common illnesses on the NHS. A patient registers with the community pharmacy of their choice in order to use MAS. Once registered they can present at any point with symptoms and the pharmacist, having ascertained whether the patient is still eligible to use the service, will treat, advise or refer them to another health care practitioner where appropriate.

When the pharmacist decides that the most appropriate action is to treat the presenting condition/s, they will then decide on the course of treatment they wish to recommend for the patient. This recommendation is supported by national and local formularies. The pharmacist receives a capitation fee and any associated reimbursement costs for the product supplied in a similar way as for a product supplied on a GP10.

ePharmacy aspects

The pharmacist registers a person electronically for MAS via the central Patient Registration System (PRS) using their Community Health Index (CHI) number. A MAS patient registration request is electronically generated by the pharmacist’s Patient Medical Record (PMR) system and sent to PRS via the ePharmacy Message Store (ePMS). PRS will send back a message informing the pharmacist whether registration has been successful, rejected or is pending further follow up. Registration is either done in advance of requiring to use the service or at the time when required. A check is made on each presentation that the person is still eligible for MAS. As well as generating an electronic registration request, the PMR system prints a CP2 registration form, which captures the demographic and patient details including exemption status. This acts as a placeholder for both the pharmacist’s and patient’s signatures. This confirms the patient’s eligibility for the service (i.e. their exemption status) and their consent to take part in the service and the pharmacist’s confirmation to provide the service under the terms and conditions set out in the MAS directions.

The signing of the registration form means that the patient is able to receive care via MAS even if the registration process is not complete (for example confirmation of their registration has not been received from PRS). The principle applied to the service is that reimbursement for items will be authorised even if subsequently the patient’s registration is not successful.

A pharmacist also uses their PMR system to generate a CP2 form detailing the output of a MAS consultation; the treatment provided, a referral or advice only provided. A corresponding electronic claim message is generated and sent to Practitioner Services via ePMS to support payment processing through ePay.

Support Materials

  • When registering a patient for MAS, it is important to enter patient details as accurately as possible. If the details entered are incorrect, manual intervention is required by the Patient Registration Team to check the details you have entered against the information held by the Community Health Index (CHI). This will result in a delay to the registration process. If a CHI match cannot be found, the registration will be rejected and returned to the pharmacy to confirm details.
    MAS Registration Guidance has been produced to assist you in this process (17/9/09).
  • The latest MAS directions are available to download via the Community Pharmacy Scotland website.
  • The NES Pharmacy eMAS Implementation Resource Pack can be downloaded.
  • Further copies of the eMAS leaflet can be downloaded - Additional MAS stationery (e.g. CP2 forms) should be ordered from your local NHS Board.

Other Supporting Documentation

A checklist for eMAS readiness has been produced for all Champions and Pharmacists.

As part of the contract negotiations, the SGHD and Community Pharmacy Scotland have agreed the final outline specification for the Minor Ailments Service.

Presentations

(Please note that they may take some time to download).

Items for Minor Ailment Service

The following Items are are now within Part 7b of the Drug Tariff for MAS with effect from June 2009 dispensing. This section has been developed in order to clarify the pricing of certain items when prescribed generically on CP2 forms.