SILHILLIANS are being reminded to speak to their local pharmacist for any health advice this winter.
The annual Ask Your Pharmacist Week (November 3 to 10) initiative organised by the National Pharmacy Association aims to raise awareness of the full range of services on offer in pharmacies.
This year’s theme is Ask Your Pharmacist: NHS services closer to home, encouraging people to make better use of their local pharmacist – not just for prescriptions, but for advice, support, and everyday health concerns.
Patients can also get treatment for minor illnesses and seven common conditions directly from their local pharmacy, without the need to visit a GP.
The Pharmacy First service enables pharmacists to offer advice to patients and supply NHS medicines (including antibiotics), where clinically appropriate, for sinusitis (aged 12 years and over), sore throat (aged five years and over), earache (aged one year to 17 years), infected insect bite (aged one year and over), Impetigo – a bacterial skin infection (aged one year and over), shingles (aged 18 years and over) and ucomplicated urinary tract infections in women (women aged 16 years to 64 years).
Anyone with symptoms that suggest they may have one of these conditions can walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with the pharmacist.
Should the pharmacy team be unable to help, patients will be directed to your GP surgery or A&E as appropriate.
Pharmacist Salman Ahmad said: “Ask Your Pharmacist Week is a great opportunity for us to highlight the important role pharmacists play in helping people to stay well, especially as we head into the winter months.
“As experts in medicine, pharmacists can help you with almost any health concerns you may have, whether that’s providing treatment on the spot or signposting you to the right alternative NHS service.
“And, with the new Pharmacy First scheme, community pharmacists can now supply prescription-only medicines where clinically appropriate to help with seven common health conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.
“It’s vital that people seek medical advice in order to stay safe and well so please don’t wait for minor illnesses to get worse – think pharmacy first and visit your local pharmacy today.”
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