With the increased pressure for GP appointments (many people have to wait for up to two weeks) the pharmacist is well placed to be able to help patients on many occasions. The Department of Health has also been encouraging pharmacists to take a greater role in healthcare within the NHS. We must bear in mind that pharmacists have traditionally had a seven-year training anyway, and that training has been extended to provide more services for NHS patients.
Best advice
Here are some key points for consideration by anyone who needs medical attention or advice:
- There has been a provision of private confidential consultation rooms in many high street chemists across the UK.
- Pharmacists are very well placed to undertake basic screening in well man and well women clinics. They can check cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, they can analyse urine samples and conduct height and weight measurements to work out body mass index.
- Many pharmacists and pharmacies have become specialised and can provide audio logical assessments, appointments with opticians on site and some pharmacies even have specialist mole clinics.
- Pharmacists are very good at communicating with patients’ GPs as there is usually an internet link to check prescriptions for individual patients.
It is important to forge a good relationship with your local pharmacist, in the same way that you form a relationship with your GP.
You can help yourself when you visit the pharmacist by writing a note of any symptoms you have and what you wish to get out of the consultation. Don’t be shy or embarrassed; take your regular medication with you in case this is not a pharmacist you’ve seen before. Be honest about your lifestyle, ask about the side effects of the medication and ask how the medications work.
