Pharmacy Services

If you’re regularly prescribed medicine, your pharmacist can offer repeat dispensing services, which means fewer trips to the GP just to get another prescription.

You can get a prescription from your GP for up to a year, then you can get your medicine supplied at regular intervals without having to go to your GP every time.

The pharmacist will normally chat to you every time you pick up your medicines to check how you are getting on with them and whether you are experiencing any undue problems or side effects. If so, the pharmacist can talk to your GP about this. Ask your GP about this service.

Reviewing your medicines

Many pharmacies now offer a special discussion of your medicines called a Medicines Use Review (MUR).

If you regularly collect medicines from your pharmacy, the pharmacist may ask you how you’ve been getting on with them. If you’re having problems, they can offer advice or, if necessary, advise you to see your GP.

You can ask for an MUR, or your pharmacist or GP might recommend one. They take place in a private consultation room in the pharmacy and you don’t have to pay. Afterwards, you’ll receive a written record of the consultation. A copy of it will be sent to your GP.

Collecting old medicines

If your medicine is out of date, unwanted, or some of it is left over after you have stopped taking it, don’t throw it away yourself. Instead, take it to your pharmacy to be disposed of safely.

Never throw away medicine in the bin, burn it or flush it down the toilet, as this can harm the environment.

To get the best from your medicines, take them as prescribed. It’s OK to ask your doctor about the medicines they are prescribing for you or to tell them you are no longer taking them. Unused medicines are a waste of NHS resources.

When to see your pharmacist

Pharmacies can help with a range of common conditions and minor injuries, such as aches and pains, cystitis, colds and skin rashes.

Minor health problems like these lead to around 57 million GP consultations a year. We could save ourselves and our GPs time if we went to the pharmacy instead. No appointment is needed.

If you have one of these common conditions, your pharmacist can give advice and medicines, if appropriate. These medicines won’t be on prescription, so you’ll have to pay for them. Your pharmacist can also tell you if you need to see a GP.

Learn more about treating common conditions.

Here are a few other ways your local pharmacy may be able to help:

• the morning-after pill – this can work for up to 72 hours after sex, but the sooner you take it, the more likely it will work; lots of pharmacies sell this over the counter after a consultation with the pharmacist, and some may provide it free on the NHS
• needle and syringe exchange services
• pregnancy tests – most pharmacies sell pregnancy test kits

Minor ailment scheme

Some pharmacies also run a minor ailment scheme that deals with specific common health problems.

Pharmacies run schemes that deal with specific ailments, such as aches and pains, skin conditions and stomach upsets, If your pharmacy runs such a scheme, the pharmacist will be able to assess your needs, give you advice, suggest medicines if appropriate, and refer you to a GP if necessary.

When pharmacies provide medicines as part of a minor ailment scheme, you get the medicines on the NHS.

If you normally pay a prescription charge, this charge will apply here. If you’re exempt from prescription charges

Improving health and wellbeing

Pharmacy teams are increasingly supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing. They also support people to look after themselves and their families without having to go to a GP all the time.

Pharmacists and their teams offer healthy lifestyle advice that covers topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, losing weight and stopping smoking, especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, are a smoker, or are overweight.

Those with serious long-term conditions, such as diabetes, will still need regular reviews with their GP or a specialist. The pharmacist can advise on when is best to see a GP.

Stop smoking services are also on offer at many pharmacies as part of local NHS Stop Smoking Services. As well as getting nicotine replacement therapy, such as nicotine gum or patches, or other stop-smoking medicines, on the NHS, you’ll meet with your pharmacist to discuss your progress.

Not all pharmacies offer these services, but you can check which services your local pharmacy provides by using the Service search. Alternatively, you can ask your local pharmacist.

There’s much more on offer at your local pharmacy than just bottles of pills.