A new pharmacy service aims to reduce the number of people who end up visiting their GP unnecessarily as a result of having a sore throat.

Up to 80% of sore throats are caused by viruses, which cannot be treated by antibiotics. However many people still attend their GP hoping to be prescribed these drugs.

The new service aims to tackle this problem by rapidly testing whether a sore throat is bacterial or viral in nature. If it is shown to be bacterial, the person will be advised to attend their GP. However, if it is not, they will be advised that antibiotics will have no effect and over-the-counter painkillers will be recommended instead.

Patients who wish to take part will be assessed to rule out any symptoms that require a referral to a GP and to determine their eligibility for the service.

A spokesperson told Irishhealth.com that a person is considered eligible ‘if they are over 16 years of age, are not displaying any warning or red flag symptoms that require referral to a doctor, have a sore throat of between three and nine days duration, have not taken antibiotics for the complaint and whose symptoms are not improving'.

Once assessed, the patient will undergo a consultation with a trained pharmacist. Where necessary, this will include a rapid throat swab test, which can quickly detect the presence of Strep A, the most common cause of bacterial sore throat infections.

When the test is complete, if that patient is found to have a bacterial infection, they will be referred to a GP. They will be provided with a summary of their consultation and their validated throat swab test result, which may reduce their consultation time with their GP.

The service is available in Boots Ireland pharmacies at a cost of €7.50. The service is not covered by the Medical Card scheme, so all patients will be required to pay this fee.