Pharmacists around Australia would be paid to perform patient consultations for lower back pain, reflux and migraine, under a scheme being pitched to the government.

More than 500 patients have already been treated at 15 pharmacies in a Sydney trial of a so-called minor ailments scheme, based on a model run in the UK.

The patients were recruited between July 2018 and March 2019 if they presented at a pharmacy with particular symptoms or requested certain OTC medicines.

They were then given private consultations with a pharmacist, who was instructed to follow protocols for questioning, assessing and advising patients for seven complaints: colds, coughs, reflux, headache, migraine, menstrual pain or acute low back pain.