All posts by ackersch

Increasing GP numbers alone will not solve problems in primary care. So says the NHS Confederation, which says that healthcare in the community should be universally accessible and supplied by a multi-professional team.

Primary care includes your community pharmacy, high street opticians and dental practices as well as GPs.

It is a myth that A&E is the first port of call for most patients. Around 90 per cent of care takes place in the community. While demand for GP services rose by 13 per cent between 2008 and 2013/14, consultations with nurses rose by 8 per cent and with other primary care professionals, including pharmacists, by 18 per cent.

It is also a myth that primary care is only used by patients with minor ailments. A significant percentage of GP workload relates to managing long-term conditions, such as diabetes, or cardiac disease in the over 65s. Some 60 per cent of this last group will have more than 12 GP visits per year and have over 24 items dispensed in their local pharmacy.

Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin around it. It is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox, and it can be quite unpleasant!

After a chickenpox infection, the virus can lie dormant in the nervous tissue but may reappear following reactivation as shingles. It is possible to have shingles more than once.

A universal shingles vaccination programme started in September 2013 which aims to reduce the incidence and severity of shingles disease in older people.

If you were born between 2 September 1942 and 1 September 1945 (ie aged 70-72) or 2 September 1935 and 1 September 1937 (ie aged 78 or 79) then you are eligible for vaccination this year.

Check with one of our pharmacists if you need to know more about which vaccinations you are entitled to as part of the NHS Immunisation Programme.

Did you get away for a well-deserved break over the holiday period? Did your boss try to get in touch while you were away?

An online YouGov poll commissioned by the mental health charity MIND has found that 24 per cent of workers said their employer had tried to contact them while they were away. The survey of over 1,250 employees highlights how the boundaries between work and life are becoming increasingly blurred.

The research also indicated that only half of respondents said that their manager respects that they have a life outside work, while nearly 3 in 10 (28 per cent) admitted that they often check work email outside of work.

MIND points out that we all need a good work/life balance to help unwind and stay mentally healthy. With stress now the leading cause of sickness absence in the UK, it’s in employers’ interests to ensure that they look after the wellbeing of their staff, says the charity.

Despite universal agreement that the prescribing of antibiotics should be reduced, 9 out of 10 GPs say they feel pressured to prescribe them, and 97 per cent of patients who ask for antibiotics get them.

In another bid to reduce inappropriate use, the government’s medicines watchdog, NICE, has published guidance for GPs on the sensible use of antibiotics.

Some 10 million prescriptions a year in England for antibiotics are ‘inappropriate’, said NICE’s Professor Mark Baker, who suggested that over prescribing doctors might need to be disciplined.

But he also said it is not just doctors who are at fault. “It’s often patients themselves who, because they don’t understand that their condition will clear up by itself, or that perhaps antimicrobials aren’t effective in treating it, may put pressure on their doctor to prescribe an antibiotic when it is not indicated.”

NICE will be ‘educating the public’ so expect to hear more on this topic – not least from your local pharmacy.

Due to an increase in skin cancer and a lack of public awareness we now offer a private mole screening service at our Charter Pharmacy. Details can be found by downloading the PDF below:

Details: Mole screening service

The NHS seasonal flu vaccination campaign kicked off in September and for the first time community pharmacies across England can offer the jab on the NHS to eligible patients.

You are eligible for flu vaccination if you are:

• aged 65 years and over ( or reach 65 by 31 March 2016);
• a pregnant woman
• a carer
• aged 18-65 with a long term medical condition (eg asthma, COPD, heart failure, a weakened immune system)

So if you are eligible, check us out. Rakesh Patel from Ackers Chemists talks about how to access your jab below:

Most people collect their prescription from the pharmacy without having any idea how much it actually costs. It is either free, or £8.20 per item if you pay prescription charges, isn’t it?

Well, not quite… In a move to encourage more responsible use of NHS resources the Health Minister Jeremy Hunt has announced that soon the price of your medicines will be printed on the pack if it costs more than £20, along with note that the cost is ‘Funded by the UK taxpayer’.

The average prescription item in England cost £9.39 in May, but most pharmacies dispense dozens of items every month costing well over £100.

Everyone knows the NHS is strapped for cash, yet missed GP appointments cost the NHS £162 million each year and missed hospital appointments as much as £750 million – and £300 million a year is spent on wasted medicines.

The Government hopes that putting the cost of the medicine on the pack will not just reduce waste by reminding people of the cost, but also improve patient care by encouraging people to take their medicines as prescribed.

Have you tried to quit smoking using nicotine patches, given up and moved onto e-cigs as an alternative to the original cancer sticks?

There’s no clear guidance about the place of e-cigs in reducing the harm caused by smoking. Although e-cigs are widely available they are not yet regulated so their safety, effectiveness and quality cannot be assured. However, they are likely to be less harmful than cigarettes, says NICE.

The official advice is that the best way to reduce the harm from smoking is to stop completely. However, nicotine inhaled from smoking tobacco is highly addictive, which is why people find it so difficult to stop – but the main harm from smoking is from the tar in tobacco.

For people who are unable to stop in one step, reducing how much they smoke with the support of licensed nicotine-containing products such as patches or gum, and advice from stop smoking services, can help.

Confused? Ask your pharmacist for advice on how best to quit.

There is a popular misconception that herbal medicines, because they are natural and can be bought without a prescription, do not have any side effects.

The popular herbal remedy St. John’s Wort, which is commonly used for treating depression, has been found to cause the same sort of adverse reactions as prescription antidepressants in a study conducted by the University of Adelaide in Australia.

According to the study St. John’s Wort can produce dangerous increases in body temperature and blood pressure, similar to adverse reactions seen with the prescription medicine fluoxetine, and serious side effects can occur if the two drugs are taken together.

Often adverse reactions from herbal medicines go unreported because they are not widely used or because they are not considered drugs. You should start thinking of St John’s Wort, and other herbal medicines, as medicines and seek advice from your pharmacist to be sure you can use them safely.

Migraine is a common condition that affects people of all ages, races and cultures. Two thirds of sufferers are women, and all migraine sufferers are more likely to experience migraine between the ages of 20 – 50 years. A migraine attack can last from four to 72 hours.

Migraine is more than just a headache. Other symptoms can include visual disturbances (flashing lights, blind spots in the vision), nausea and vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise or smells.

Despite this around 60% of sufferers never consult their GP because they mistakenly think that nothing can be done to help them. However, there is a wide range of effective treatments available, some on prescription, but many available from your pharmacy.

Migraine Awareness Week focussed on young people. If you have suffered migraines since childhood or your teenage years Migraine Action would love to hear from you. Go to http://www.migraine.org.uk/latest-news/misdiagnosed-misunderstood-missing-out/ to find out more.