Think pharmacy first when seeking help for one of seven common conditions

Pharmacies across the region are on hand to help people stay well this winter, with pharmacists able to offer advice on a range of illnesses and treatment options, as well as prescribe prescription medicine for a range of common health conditions.

Pharmacy First means people feeling under the weather from one of the seven conditions covered by the scheme are able to seek help from a community pharmacy without having to make an appointment with their GP.

Conditions that pharmacists can offer prescription medicine for are:

• Impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
• Infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• Earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• Sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• Urinary tract infections (women aged 16 to 64 years)
• Shingles (aged 18 years and over)

The reminder for people to think Pharmacy First coincides with this year’s Ask Your Pharmacist Week, which runs until Monday 10 November.

Helen Wilkinson, Community Pharmacy Integration Lead, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Pharmacies do a lot more than just managing patients’ repeat prescriptions.

“Each of our 130 or so sites are headed up by a skilled team of trained health and care professionals, each of whom can offer advice on medicines, share information on how to manage illness at home and carry out private consultations for minor illnesses.  

“Pharmacy teams can also offer prescription medicines for a range of common conditions, some of which become more prevalent during the colder winter months, without patients needing to make an appointment with their GP practice first.

“Speeding up the time it takes to provide patients with the care and treatment they need helps people to start their recovery sooner, while also freeing up valuable GP time, which can then be used for seeing patients with more urgent symptoms.”

Clive Parade Pharmacy in Swindon has undergone a radical refurbishment in recent months, with the site now boasting new clinic rooms, which are being used to provide a wider range of health and care services, such as ear wax removal and blood pressure checks.

Pharmacist Asim Iqbal, who works at the site, said: “Pharmacies are a vital part of the local community. We are accessible, approachable and available to everyone.

“I would strongly encourage people to use their local pharmacy to its fullest potential this winter season, so together we can help to reduce pressure on our GP surgeries and hospitals, and support patients in accessing care closer to home.”

While help and support from all community pharmacies in the region can be accessed on a walk-in basis, some sites do allow patients to ring ahead and book an appointment.

People can find details of their nearest pharmacy, such as opening times and the services being provided, though the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.

Further details can also be found at www.bswtogether.org.uk/yourhealth, along with a wider range of extra resources and information that people can use to help them and their families to stay well this winter.