Minor Illness Service in Wath upon Dearne

Minor Illness Service in Wath upon Dearne

Wath-upon-Dearne sits on the administrative boundary between Barnsley and Rotherham ICB areas, and patients here sometimes find that follow-up support after a new prescription falls into the gap between commissioning responsibilities. The Dearne Valley's high rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mean new prescriptions for antihypertensives, diabetes medicines, and anticoagulants are common across Wath's S63 postcode. Brampton Village Pharmacy, 10 minutes from Wath town centre, provides the free NHS New Medicine Service to Wath-upon-Dearne patients regardless of which ICB area their GP is in, ensuring the follow-up gap is closed.

Common concerns for Wath upon Dearne residents

• Wath-upon-Dearne patients on the Rotherham ICB side of the boundary can find that support services available in Barnsley are not automatically offered to them — the NMS operates on the same basis regardless of ICB area
• Manvers industrial workers near Wath who receive a new blood pressure prescription often lack the time or access to receive any post-prescription follow-up — the NMS provides this within their working community
• Anticoagulant prescribing is rising in the Wath area as AF is increasingly detected through NHS health checks — new DOAC patients in particular need early pharmacist counselling on dosing and drug interactions
• Non-adherence to new type 2 diabetes medicines is a significant problem in the Dearne Valley; the NMS consultation at day 7–14 specifically addresses the concerns — mainly gastrointestinal side-effects — that most commonly cause patients to stop