What Pharmacies Offer

What Pharmacies Offer
Image caption,

Dr Ranj

  • Published

Here's what you can get help with:

1. Minor Illnesses

  • You can walk into most pharmacies and get advice and treatment — often without needing to see a GP — for: Sore throats, earache for children, sinus infections, Impetigo, infected insect bites, UTIs in women.

  • Pharmacists can offer treatments and even prescribe antibiotics where needed. Only a Pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics and not assistants so you will need to ask to see a Pharmacist if this is what you need. They have private consultation rooms in which you can be seen and assessed properly.

2. Vaccinations

  • You can get a variety of jabs from Pharmacies including: Flu jabs, COVID boosters, Travel vaccines, Pneumonia and shingles vaccines (for eligible groups).

  • There is an online Vaccination National Booking Service through the NHS. The link is on our website.

3. Health Checks & Screenings

Many offer:

  • Blood pressure checks (free for over 40s), Cholesterol tests, Diabetes risk assessments, Weight management advice.

  • These are especially helpful for catching early warning signs.

4. Support for Long-Term Conditions

  • Pharmacists help patients manage: Asthma (inhaler technique checks), high blood pressure, Diabetes medication, side effects or drug interactions

5. Contraception & Emergency Medicine

  • Many pharmacies also offer: The morning after pill, ongoing contraception advice, period delay medication and STI testing kits (in some areas)

6. Help with Medicines

  • Pharmacists can: Review your repeat prescriptions, help you use devices like inhalers or injectors properly, discuss side effects or alternative options and help with quitting smoking or cutting down alcohol

7. Referrals & Escalation

  • If they spot anything serious, pharmacists can refer you to a GP or urgent care — they're trained to recognise red flags.