Ask a pharmacist week runs from 4-11 November, highlighting the skills and services available in your community pharmacy. Pharmacies are a key part of the NHS family, providing professional and convenient healthcare. The range of clinical services they provide has expanded significantly in recent years.
In the second of a series of articles to help people get in the know about how to stay well over the winter and how to access the appropriate health care when they need it, we describe some of the services provided by pharmacists.
Going to your local pharmacy offers an easy and convenient way to get clinical advice on minor health concerns and over-the-counter medicines. They are the right people to see for common winter aliments such as coughs, colds and sore throats.
People can often look after minor illnesses at home and do not need an appointment at an NHS service. For anyone who need a bit of extra support to do that, a local pharmacy is the right place to go. They can also advise you what to keep in your medicine cabinet at home so you are prepared when a minor illness or injury strikes.
Community pharmacy teams are highly-skilled, qualified health professionals who have the right clinical training to give people the health advice they need. Patients don’t need an appointment and private consultation rooms are available. Pharmacy teams can also signpost to other relevant local services where necessary.
Under the Pharmacy First scheme, many pharmacies can also now offer treatment and prescription medicine for some conditions, without you needing to see a GP. These conditions include, earache (in children aged 1 to 17), impetigo, infected insect bites, sinusitis (in patients aged 12 and over), shingles, sore throat (in patients aged 5 and over) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64. You can be referred to a pharmacy by your GP practice, or you can go directly to a pharmacy without an appointment.
Many pharmacies in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland also provide the oral contraceptive pill and emergency contraception, without you needing to see a doctor or nurse. You can find your nearest pharmacy that offers this service by visiting: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/find-a-pharmacy-offering-contraceptive-pill-without-prescription/.
People aged over 40 can also get their blood pressure checked at a pharmacy without seeing a GP. However, you will not be able to get your blood pressure checked if you already have high blood pressure or you have had your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional in the past 6 months. Find your closest pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks by visiting: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/pharmacies/find-a-pharmacy-that-offers-free-blood-pressure-checks/.
Although Ask a Pharmacist Week is aimed at showcasing the support community pharmacies can provide, we also want to highlight the role of clinical pharmacists in GP practices.
People can also speak to a Clinical Pharmacist at most GP practices. Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medicines and can help people stay as well as possible. They support those with long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure or anyone taking multiple medicines to make sure their medication is working. They work with GPs, local pharmacies and hospitals to ensure that medicine services are joined up. Some Clinical Pharmacists can also prescribe medicines.
Clinical Pharmacists can help with:
- In-depth reviews of your medicines if you have a long-term condition
- Agreeing and making changes to your prescription
- Advice about medicines and side effects.
For more information on services provided by pharmacists, visit: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/find-the-right-service/pharmacy/.
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