A pharmacist is another health expert you can turn to for asthma advice and support and you usually don't need an appointment. As well as your GP or asthma nurse, your local pharmacist is another highly trained healthcare professional who can answer questions about your asthma. If you have any concerns about your asthma, you can just walk into our pharmacy and ask to see the pharmacist.

This is useful because:

• you don't need an appointment
• our pharmacy are open outside GP surgery hours
• our pharmacy have a private consultation room
• you can ask about free prescription collection services, peak flow checks, stop smoking and losing weight advice.

Ask the pharmacist how to get the best from your asthma medicines. You can ask your pharmacist about the asthma medicines you've been prescribed. This is useful if you have concerns about things like side effects, using your inhaler, or your inhaler not working properly.
You can also ask about any over-the-counter medicines you're taking to help your asthma, such as anti-histamines for hay fever.

Check your blood pressure

The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.

All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.

You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including at our pharmacies. If you've not been diagnosed with high blood pressure and would like to get yours checked, contact or visit one of our branches. 

If we find any potential signs of high blood pressure, we will refer you to your GP for further investigation and treatment if appropriate.

We provide lateral flow test kits 

We provide the Discharge Medicines Service.  The service has been established to help you understand your medicines and any changes when you leave hospital and to reduce incidences of avoidable harm caused by medicines. 

No appointments needed, easily accessible location and just a quick consultation, we ensure a hassle free service to all our patients. Simply walk in and ask to speak to our friendly and professional pharmacist about the morning after pill.

Our pharmacist will need to see the person that the emergency contraception is intended for, and will need to ask a few questions regarding the patients’ medical history. This is done in the privacy of our consultation room and everything discussed is in complete confidence. The sooner you come to our pharmacy to take the morning after pill, the greater the chances of avoiding pregnancy.

If the Pharmacist feels like Levonelle One Step is not suitable for you, they will not give you the morning after pill, but advise you to see your health care professional.

We are one of the few pharmacies that are able to provide the morning after pill free of charge to patients who are aged 24 and under, and who meet the NHS criteria. Alternatively, the pill can be purchased privately from our pharmacy.

About Emergency Contraception (Levonelle One Step) -
When it comes to sex, even if you’ve taken precautions, sometimes things don’t quite go to plan. Accidents happen with contraception and things go wrong all the time. You may even just be worried that your contraceptive pill hasn’t worked. If you’ve had unprotected sex or you’re worried about contraception failure, here is some of the information you need to know about Levonelle One Step -

- Levonelle One Step is an emergency contraceptive that can be used within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected sex or if your contraceptive method has failed.
- There is one white tablet in the pack and it is most effective when taken within the first 12 hours
- The tablet contains a hormone called Levonorgestrel.
- Levonelle One Step is thought to work by stopping your ovaries from releasing an egg or by preventing sperm from fertilising any egg that may have already been released
- If you are over 16 you can get Levonelle One Step over the counter at our Pharmacy
- If you are under 16 you cannot buy Levonelle One Step at the Pharmacy, you need to visit your GP or a Walk-In centre
- Levonelle One Step works to prevent a pregnancy becoming established, it does not work if you are already pregnant
- You should only use Levonelle One Step in emergencies, not as a regular form of contraception

Please note, there are other emergency contraceptive options available through your doctor or at a Walk-In centre.

If you do have any questions or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Free Covid Tests for the vulnerable & elderly patients

During the winter months (Approx. Sept - Feb) we run the NHS Flu Vaccination Service.

 You are eligible to receive an NHS flu jab if you: 

• are 65 years of age or over   
• are pregnant*
• are a carer*
• have certain medical conditions* including:

       Asthma and COPD         Heart disease

       Kidney disease               Liver disease

       Neurological disease     Diabetes

*patients must be 18 years of age or over

Ask us for more information about eligibility and how to get your NHS flu vaccination.

This free service is funded by NHS England.

An MUR is an informal chat with your pharmacist to address and concerns you may have about your prescribed medicines. During an MUR your pharmacist will talk to you about the medicines you are taking, what they do, if they are working for you and if they are causing you any complications. The New Medicines Service (NMS) is a new scheme we offer to patients starting a new medicine for certain conditions. When presenting a prescription in the pharmacy for a medicine to treat one of the conditions listed as one suitable for the NMS, you pharmacist will invite you to have a chat with them, so the pharmacist can ensure you get the best from your new prescription.

Your pharmacist may also make some recommendations to you to ensure you achieve the best results from the medicine you take or the devices or appliances you use.  You don’t need to make an appointment to have an MUR just pop into the branch of Delmergate you get your prescriptions from on a regular basis and ask to speak to the pharmacist

We care about your long term health and if you are a smoker who wants to quit, but think you need help to kick the habit, our award winning Stop Smoking Service might be just what you are looking for. We have had many successes over the years and wish to help you kick the habit.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths accounting for more than 80,000 deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a smoking related disease. If you could see the damage you would stop.

Circulation

When you smoke, the poisons from the tar in your cigarettes enter your blood. These poisons in your blood then:

• Make your blood thicker, and increase chances of clot formation
• Increase your blood pressure and heart rate, making your hear work harder than normal
• Narrow your arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen rick blood circulating in your organs.

Together these changes to your body when you smoke increase the chance of your arteries narrowing and clots forming which could lead to heart attack and stroke.

Stomach

Smokers have an increased chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers. Smoking is a significant risk factor for developing kidney cancer and the more you smoke the greater the risk.

Skin

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your skin. This means your skin ages more quickly and looks grey and dull. The toxins in your body also cause cellulite. Smoking prematurely ages your skin by between 10 and 20 years increasing wrinkling particularly around the eyes and mouth. The only way to prevent further deterioration is to stop smoking.

Bones

Smoking can cause your bones to become weak and brittle predisposing to brittle bones (osteoporosis).

Brain

Smokers are more likely to have a stroke than someone who doesn’t smoke. Within two years of stopping smoking your risk of stoke is reduced to half that of a smoker and within five years it will be the same as a non-smoker.

Lungs

Your lungs can be very badly affected by smoking. Coughs, colds, wheezing and asthma are just the start. Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia emphysema, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. You can slow down the progression of some of the diseases by stopping smoking.

Mouth and throat

Smoking causes unattractive problems such as bad breath and stained teeth and can cause gum disease and damage your taste.

Reproduction

Smoking can cause male impotence as it damages blood vessels that supply blood to the penis. It can also damage sperm and cause testicular cancer. For women smoking reduces fertility. One study estimated the fertility of smoking women was 72% of that of a non smoker. Smoking also increases the risk of cervical cancer. Smoking while pregnant can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and illness and increases cot death by 25%.

The good news is you can stop smoking and we are here to help.

Members of the public seeking advice on-line should visit the "ask you pharmacist" website (www.askyourpharmacist.co.uk) or visit NHS Direct (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) 

(Other websites are available.)

We provide a palliative care service.  Palliative care drugs can sometimes be required quickly and this service ensures that there is appropriate access to a range of palliative care drugs, particularly outside of normal opening hours, and when treatment is needed urgently.

Many of the drugs used in palliative care are not usually used for other conditions and are often not stocked in community pharmacies.  As a  palliative care service provider we hold a stock of palliative care drugs for when needed right away.  The service is suitable for patients receiving palliative care and those providing their care.

We keep records of all your prescriptions dispensed by us as well as records of other services we provide to you. This helps us check for possible problems, such as reactions between medicines and will help us deal with any queries you may have.  Our computer allows us to keep these records. We are registered with The Information Commissioners Office and comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code of practice on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, please ask to speak to a member of staff or the pharmacist.

Our pharmacies participate in the PCT stop smoking support schemes. Customers that require assistance can call in at one of our branches and ask to speak to one of our stop smoking support advisors who will let you know the details of the scheme we provide.

(www.smokefree.nhs.uk) 

(insert SMOKEFREE LOGO)

We now offer a travel clinic at this pharmacy, if you are planning to holiday abroad please call in and speak to our pharmacist. We can discuss Malaria treatments and can even now supply you with your holiday vaccinations as well as discuss any other holiday medical needs or requirements you may have.

Our pharmacies carry a wide range of travel items, insect repellents, first aid items, sun protection creams and after sun lotions.

If you need vaccinations before you travel please visit us for and we will be happy to provide you with a quote for the vaccinations you need, and can administer them for you in the pharmacy.

Call or visit the pharmacy for further details.

Altitude Sickness - the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, and dizziness.

Cholera – Common in Africa, Central America and Asia, cholera is an infection spread by bacteria in contaminated food and water.

Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis and Tetanus - This diphtheria, polio and tetanus vaccine may also be recommended if you're travelling to an area of the world where there is a high risk of contracting these diseases, or poor access to medical care, and you haven't had a booster in the last ten years.

Hepatitis A – Contaminated faecal matter spreads hepatitis A, a disease often caught via infected food and water and common across in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

Hepatitis B – Unprotected sex is usually responsible for hepatitis A infection, along with sharing needles, visiting dirty tattoo parlours, unhygienic barbers shops and nail salons. It’s common in both undeveloped and developed countries.

Japanese Encephalitis – Spread by mosquitoes, there’s no cure for this disease found across South East Asia, Japan, and tropical regions of Australia. There are also occasional epidemics in China and India.

Malaria – A highly dangerous disease spread by infected mosquitoes, malaria is common in the equatorial tropics and subtropics.

Meningitis; ACWY Vaccination for Hajj or Umrah – A bacterial infection, this disease tends to be commonest in sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s also sometimes found where it’s crowded and where there’s imperfect hygiene, for example universities and army camps. 

Rabies – Infected animal and human bites and scratches spread this awful disease, which is particularly common in Thailand, Brazil and India.

Tick-borne Encephalitis – A tick-borne virus found in eastern, northern and central Europe as well as eastern Russia, east Asia, China and Japan.

Typhoid – Bacteria are responsible for this infection and it’s found throughout the world, a risk wherever sanitation and hygiene are poor.

We can offer weight management help.  Pharmacists are ideally placed to help you manage your weight as they already provide many health services to customers, including stop smoking services, blood pressure and cholesterol measurements and general advice on nutrition and healthy living. Pharmacists also know when a weight problem can be managed in the pharmacy and when there is a medical problem that needs co-operation with the doctor.

Ask us for advice on how to get started.