What services are provided at your local pharmacy?
Your local pharmacy in the UK offers a wide range of services to support your health and wellbeing. They do not ‘just do tablets’. They have many other helpful services.
They also have the huge advantage that they are usually walking distance from your house, and a trained senior health professional will be there for advice – and you don’t need an appointment.
If they cannot help you themselves, they can refer you to a GP or other health professional.
Here are some of the key services you can expect:
Treatment Services
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Pharmacy First Service (PFS): Provides treatment for common conditions like impetigo, infected insect bites, earache, sore throat, sinusitis, coughs and colds, urinary tract infections (UTIs), constipation and diarrhoea, sprains and minor injuries, plantar fasciitis, cold sores, angular stomatitis, and shingles – without the need for a GP appointment
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New Medicine Service (NMS): Some pharmacists have a ‘Clinical Pharmacist’ attached your local GP practice. They can start (and change) medication; and have access to your notes. You can have up to three appointments with such a pharmacist.
Medication Management
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Medicines Review: A free service where a pharmacist reviews your medications and provides advice on how to use them effectively
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Prescription Collection and Delivery: You can collect your medication from your local pharmacy (or any other you name on your NHS app). They can also organise your tablets to be delivered, or provide dosette boxes
- Emergency Prescriptions: If you have a copy of your current tablets and some ID, you can get an emergency prescription; especially useful if you have just run out of an important tablet (try not to!).
Long-term Health and Illness Services
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Stop Smoking Service: Support and guidance to help you quit smoking
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Weight Management: Advice and support to help you manage your weight
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Blood Pressure Checks: Free blood pressure checks and advice on managing hypertension
- Monitoring of Chronic Disease: including diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and CKD.
Contraception and Family Planning
- Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS): Offers contraception advice and supplies, including the contraceptive pill and emergency contraception (‘morning after pill’; don’t delay)#
- Family Planning: They can also provide advice on how to plan a family, and what type of contraception you should use at different stages of life
- Getting the Contraceptive Pill without a Prescription: Some pharmacies may offer the contraceptive pill for free without a prescription. If you are aged 18 years or older, you can also buy the progesterone-only pill from most pharmacies.
Other Services
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Disposal of Unwanted Medicines: A safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted or expired medications
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Vaccinations: Some pharmacies offer vaccinations (childhood, flu, COVID-19 etc) and travel vaccination and advice
- Sexually-transmitted Diseases: Some pharmacies will provide this, including chlamydia screening and treatment
- Substance Misuse Service: Some pharmacies will provide needle and syringe exchange schemes.
Remember to check with your local pharmacy to see which services they offer, as not all pharmacies provide the same services.
Summary
We have described the (many) services provided by your local pharmacy. Yes, there is alot more they can do, than you think. We hope this has been helpful.
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