Pharmacists have reacted on social media to a letter published yesterday (July 25) in The Times from a doctor claiming they lack the diagnosis skills to spot signs of meningitis from someone presenting with a headache.

The letter was written in response to a report published in the July 23 edition on the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework highlighting the same-day Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS), due to launch in the autumn and designed to give pharmacies a key role in helping people with minor illness.

The medic claimed that pharmacists are not trained in “clinical medicine”. The concern is that what appears as a simple headache may evolve into meningitis in a short space of time, he wrote.

On Twitter, award-winning Bristol pharmacist Ade Williams pointed out that the charities Meningitis Now and the Migraine Trust both advocate the value and importance of community pharmacists.

Locum pharmacist Michael Swaddle said, like any GP, a pharmacist would investigate the cause of symptoms before taking any action.

PSNC says it has written a letter in response that highlights pharmacists’ expertise and the aim of the CPCS.