Ask your Pharmacist Week
This week is “Ask your Pharmacist Week” whereby the National Pharmacy Association aims to promote the health services provided by community pharmacists, which may not be familiar to everybody. People generally use pharmacies to collect prescriptions and pills, seldom realising the wider role that pharmacies can play in their local communities. Pharmacies offer more than just a place to pick up prescriptions, the pharmacist can advise, support and offer guidance on a number of common health problems and minor ailments. These range from obesity, diabetes, sexual health, skin conditions, coronary heart disease and airway conditions.
Pharmacists are also able to provide help on dieting and exercise, as well as alcohol consumption and stopping smoking.
“Pharmacies are there to help you stay well, not just to treat you when you are sick”
Healthy Living Pharmacies
Some pharmacies are known as Health Living Pharmacies, because they have a healthy living champion who, as well as delivering services themselves and advising people on health issues, also keeps up to date with health services and are able to signpost people to receive further help.
For further information on the services that Pharmacies provide, please click on the Ask Your Pharmacy website.
The RSPH supports the work carried out in pharmacies and sees their role as integral to helping to reduce health inequalities and ensuring that everyone can access health services as well as getting the right advice.
RSPH Training Solutions currently offer the Level Two Award in Understanding Health Improvement to health trainers and champions and continue to develop tailored programmes for people working in pharmacies..
Positive Pharmacy
- There are currently 12,000 pharmacies across the UK, therefore for the majority of us, they are easy to access and tend to be close by.
- To visit a pharmacy you do not need to make an appointment.
- There is always a fully qualified healthcare professional and support team who can answer queries and offer knowledgeable advice.
- Most pharmacies have a consultation room, whereby you can talk with your pharmacist without being overheard.
- Health checks and vaccinations can also take place in the consultation room
Going to the pharmacy is so much easier than getting an appointment to see a GP, and the level of expertise is much higher than many people realise. They really deserve their place on the High Street.
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