(man) We're part of the community
as much as we are part of the NHS
and we're part of the actual team
working closely with doctors and nurses.
The tendency is to go to see your GP
or to see your nurse
and follow up by going to your
pharmacy,
getting your medication dispensed,
go home.
A pharmacist is a lot more than
that.
Pharmacies are becoming the first
port of call for most patients.
We offer a consultation service
with a private consultation room.
We can help you
develop healthy lifestyles.
We can advise, and it's free.
We can talk to you
about your minor ailments,
talk to you about the severity,
advise you on what you can take.
Minor ailments are something
that you would like dealt with.
It may be not important enough
to actually make an appointment
and then go and see your GP.
90 per cent of all people that come
through the door with a minor ailment,
they can be dealt with straightaway.
Let me show you round.
As you can see, we have a wide array
of over-the-counter medication.
The pharmacist will advise you on
what
the best course of action for you is
and then provide you
with the medication.
As you see, the traditional role of
the
pharmacist which everyone's aware of,
the dispensing of prescriptions.
Prescriptions come in,
they're done, dispensed, labelled,
and again the pharmacist checking
just before he gives them out.
One of the new innovations in
pharmacy
is the pharmacy dispensing robot.
The drugs fall down, they're
carried across on a conveyor belt...
..and dispensed right by
where the pharmacist is working.
The idea behind the whole system
is again to improve the service
and looking at minimising at every
opportunity where an error could occur.
Preventative care
is always the better option,
so we can offer screening
for patients with diabetes,
screening for patients
with raised cholesterol levels.
We also run clinics for obesity
and to help people stop smoking.
One of the new services
that pharmacies offer
is monitored dosage systems.
These are for patients
that have problems remembering
what medication they need to take
and when to take it.
The carer knows what medication
has to be taken by the patient
and it helps them keep a check
to make sure the correct medication
has been dispensed.
Also, again, that the correct medication
has been taken by the patient.
We operate a specialised system
in which it labels out what time of
day
and what medication needs to be taken,
along with a description.
You can come and speak to us
about your medicines use or abuse,
that you're getting the optimal
out of what medication you're taking.
- You've had all your medication
before?
- Yes.
You're doing OK with it? No
problems?
The only thing...
It may be that the dosage
you were on at the time
was a little bit too strong for you,
and having three.
It sounds like you've done
the sensible thing, speaking to your GP.
And it's about trying to make your
use
of your medication best for you.
That's handy to know.
Thank you very much for your help.
Your local pharmacist
will be looking at local needs
and working with the people
on a ground level.
It's about looking at the patient's needs from their perspective.