This week, between the 3-10 November, the NHS is shining a light on the vital role community pharmacies play in delivering essential healthcare.
This year’s campaign aims to highlight the work pharmacies do and what a visit can offer you, such as blood pressure checks, medicine reviews and urgent care- without the need for a GP appointment.
According to ‘Management in Practice’, the cost to the NHS of treating people with minor ailments such as coughs and colds is around £2 billion annually. As well as this, stated by gov.uk’, the NHS spends approximately £300 million each year on medicines that could have been purchased over the counter.
Abdul Khan, a pharmacist from Cohen’s Chemist in Salford said, “Pharmacists can now prescribe antibiotics without patients needing to see a doctor under the ‘Pharmacy First’ service launched by the NHS in England”.
He explained to me about the Pharmacy First scheme, where patients can be treated for seven common illnesses, no longer having to see their doctor to get a prescription. These illnesses include, sinusitis, sore throats, impetigo and urinary tract infections (UTI’s), to name a few. Abdul said, “We do see a lot of people going to their doctors for a UTI, whereas it’s almost faster and easier to pop into your local pharmacy”.
When I asked Abdul if he thought the public know what illnesses the pharmacy can treat you for, his response was, “I would say, yes and no. Local communities are getting more knowledge, but the general public, I would say there is a big gap”.
We’ve all had that dreaded experience of calling your GP at 8am fighting to get an appointment. As of the 1st of October, the government tried to make changes to this by enforcing online booking systems, but the NHS are still under pressure. Awareness weeks like this ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week’, are put in place by the NHS to try and limit government spending on the public health service.
Abdul Khan tells us what it is a pharmacy can offer people:
Dr Paula Cowan, Regional Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS England in the North West said, “I have been a GP for 22 years and over that time the role of community pharmacy has changed dramatically. Working in the heart of our communities, they offer so many important services and are a key part of the primary care family”.
For all severe and emergency medical needs call 999. If you are facing a non life-critical illness but still need medical help right now, call 111.