About NHS services

What can I expect from my pharmacy?

Pharmacists (sometimes called chemists) are experts in medicines and how they work. They play a key role in providing quality healthcare to patients. Working in the community, primary care and hospitals, pharmacists use their clinical expertise together with their practical knowledge to ensure the safe supply and use of medicines by patients and members of the public.

The services that may be available from your Pharmacy are:

• Emergency contraception
• Truss fittings
• Incontinence supplies
• Needle exchange
• Pregnancy testing
• Oxygen

They dispense your prescriptions, provide a range of services related to specific health related issues and can advise on minor ailments.

Minor ailments include:

• Bugs and viruses
• Minor injuries
• Tummy troubles
• Women's health
• Skin conditions
• Allergies
• Aches and pains
• Children's problems

A pharmacist also has to be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and have worked for at least a year under the supervision of an experienced and qualified pharmacist, either in a hospital or community pharmacy (local chemist's shop).

Are there different types of pharmacists?

Pharmacists normally work in one of two areas, the hospital pharmacy and the community pharmacy. The community pharmacy is the most common type and involves preparation and dispensing of medicines on prescription to the general public. Non-prescription medicines may also be available.

The community pharmacist will be able to give advice to customers on how to use prescribed medicines and will highlight when certain medicines should not be used in conjunction with alcohol or other types of medication.

The hospital pharmacist is part of a hospital team, providing, preparing and dispensing medicines normally to patients who are or have been treated in the hospital.

What advice can a pharmacist give me?

Pharmacists (sometimes called chemists) are experts on medicines and how they work. They can also offer advice on common complaints such as coughs, colds, aches and pains and other health issues, such as healthy eating and giving up smoking.

They can help you decide whether you need to see a doctor. You can talk to your pharmacists in confidence - even about the most personal symptoms and you don't need to make an appointment.

What is a pharmacy out of hours service?

Community pharmacies already play their part in the current provision of 'out of hours' (OOH) pharmaceutical services through extended opening hours, rota services and on-call services. However, now there are opportunities for community pharmacists to set up OOH pharmaceutical services, such as minor ailment schemes which support the provision of OOH services by primary care trusts (PCT) or organised OOH providers.

OOH medicines supply should still preferably be made via community pharmacies. However in many areas the OOH provider will need to make provision for supply outside the times when pharmacies are open in the locality.

Please note that if a prescription is obtained via the OOH service, then prescription charges are still applicable unless the patient is exempt, and the payment method may differ from one provider to another.

Where can I find information about prescription charges?

The Department of Health website has the most up to date information on NHS costs and exemptions, including the latest prescription charges.

 

Do I need to make an appointment to see my pharmacist?

Normally an appointment would not be required. It is possible to walk into any community pharmacy and ask to speak with the pharmacist. They may be able to spend some time with you.

However this may not always be possible, especially during busy periods when the pharmacist may ask you to come back later during a quieter period. Some pharmacists have quiet areas you can use in order to provide some privacy.

Do pharmacists have to follow a code of ethics?

Pharmacists do have to follow a code of ethics produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The code highlights fundamental duties of all pharmacists and a number of principles on which the code is based.
The code highlights the pharmacists primary concern should be the welfare of their patient in addition to acting in an appropriate and professional manner at all times. As with many other health professions, the pharmacist must respect the confidentiality of any information in the course of professional practice, never disclosing information to others without the patient's consent.

If a pharmacist breaches the code of ethics, they could have their name removed from the society's register and subsequently be unable to practice.

How do I make a complaint about my pharmacy?

Any complaint regarding a pharmacist or the owner of a pharmacy should be made in writing to the following:

Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
1 Lambeth High Street
London
SE1 7JN

Fax: 020 7572 2510
E-mail: complaintsaboutpharmacists@rpsgb.org

What careers are there in the NHS for pharmacists?

For further information on careers within the NHS in the field of pharmaceuticals, as well as many professions, please visit the NHS Careers website.

 

What is the Electronic Prescription Service?

The Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP) programme is responsible for creating and implementing the Electronic Prescription Service and, over time, integrating it with the NHS Care Records Service. The ETP programme is part of the National Programme for IT, which is being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health. 

It will enable electronic prescriptions to be generated, transmitted and received so that pharmacists and other dispensers can dispense against them. In many, and eventually most cases, electronic prescriptions will replace paper ones.

With around 1.3 million prescriptions now being issued every working day in England, and this figure expected to rise by 5% each year, we need to change from a paper-based system to an electronic one which is more efficient, consistently accurate and able to cope with expected further increases in the number of prescriptions. In particular, about 70% of prescriptions are now repeat prescriptions and the new service has been designed to streamline the current time-consuming system used for dealing with them.

Over time, the ETP will bring a range of benefits to patients, GPs and other staff. The extent of these will depend upon individual circumstances but, for example, there will be a reduced requirement for patients to visit their GP surgery just to collect a prescription, saving time for both patients and GP surgery staff. Also, accuracy and safety will be improved because prescription information will not need to be typed in by both the GP and again by the pharmacist and prescriptions will be complete with full details of the medicines being prescribed.

For many pharmacists, the need to physically collect patients' prescriptions from surgeries will become obsolete. Further time will also be released in the pharmacy as prescription details will no longer need to be keyed in and it will become easier to manage workflow and stock control.

Where can I get my oxygen supply from?

As of Feb 1st 2006, the way oxygen is provided to people at home is changing. Home oxygen will be provided directly by specialist oxygen supply companies. Pharmacies will NOT be providing oxygen any more. People will still receive their oxygen cylinders or concentrators as before.
The supplier depends on where people live.

For people in: Avon; Birmingham; Black Country; Cheshire; Cumbria; Dorset; Gloucestershire; Grt Manchester; Lancashire; Leicestershire; London North; Merseyside; North Lincolnshire; Northants; Rutland Trent; Shropshire; Somerset; South West Peninsula; Staffordshire; Wales; West Midlands South; Wiltshire; Yorkshire, the supplier is:

Air Products, Tel: 24/7 Freephone Helpline 0800 37 35 80

For people in: Hampshire; Isle of Wight; Kent; Medway; South East London; South West London; Surrey; Sussex; Thames Valley the supplier is:

Allied Oxycare / Medigas, Tel: 24/7 Freephone Helpline 0500 82 37 73

For people in: Bedfordshire; Cambridgeshire; Essex; Herts; Norfolk; Suffolk the supplier is:
BOC, tel: 24/7 Freephone Helpline 0800 13 66 03

For people in: County Durham; Northumberland; Tees Valley; Tyne & Wear the supplier is:

Linde Gas, Tel: 24/7 Freephone Helpline 0808 202 09 99

People with any other questions, can call the British Lung Foundation helpline on 08458 50 50 20, Mon - Fri, 10am - 6pm.

A patient information leaflet is also available from the British Lung Foundation.

How do I train to be a pharmacist?

To achieve qualification as a pharmacist in Great Britain you will need:

• A-level chemistry plus other A-/AS-levels such as biology and mathematics
• A four-year Master of Pharmacy degree from a UK school of pharmacy
• One year's practical training in a pharmacy after completing the degree ("preregistration training")
• To pass an examination at the end of your year of preregistration training in order to register with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Further information on courses and training recognised by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain can be found on the Society's website. Additional information is also available on careers in the pharmaceutical industry.