Spoof movies to divert patients away from GPs

Earache Strikes Back is the latest UK health campaign to push patients with minor ailments towards pharmacies
Movie poster

Sore Throat and the Lost Voice may not be as well-known as other films starring Harrison Ford, but the National Health Service in England is hoping its spoof movie posters will encourage patients with minor ailments to bypass their GPs.

Along with other, lesser-known epics, such as Earache Strikes Back, the health authority has created a series of posters to promote more use of pharmacies for less-serious health issues.

Patients are encouraged to “take the drama out of minor illnesses” and head to their local pharmacy for symptoms that do not require a GP appointment, including earache, itchy eyes and sore throat.

Poster notes for Night of the Itchy Eye state: “Produced by an infection or allergy; starring a bloodshot or watering eye with a burning or gritty sensation; in association with Red Eye Productions; see a pharmacist now in a confidential consultation room near you.”