Ann Wilkinson describes how urgent care staff should manage people with sore throat and warns of the dangers of antibiotic resistance

As the number of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria rises, it becomes crucial that decisions about the use of antibiotics are based on sound evidence. This article offers a case study to explore the treatment of patients with sore throat who present to minor injury settings. It describes some ‘red flag’ presentations, discusses the pros and cons of prescribing antibiotics for sore throat, and describes some scoring systems that can help differentiate between bacterial and viral throat infections.