London Tower Hamlets - pharmacy first scheme

Beate

The OH brought a leaflet from our GP practice the other day. It reads:

Need health advice without an appointment? Go to your pharmacy first. Pharmacists in Tower Hamlets can give advice and treatment on a range of minor health conditions such as headache, colds, sore throat, fever, hay fever, constipation, mouth ulcers, heartburn, athletes foot, head lice, diarrhoea, thrush, bites and stings, certain skin conditions, back pain, cough, teeting, sprains and strains.

All you need to do is register once with reception staff at your GP surgery.They will give you a special voucher which you can take to your local participating pharmacy to receive treatment without waiting for an appointment.

If you do not normally pay a prescription charge pharmacists will be able to provide you with medicine for minor conditions for free.

If you are not exempt from prescription charges you will pay the normal prescription fee to the pharmacy or buy the medicine if it is cheaper.

What treatment will be available on the scheme?
The pharmacy first scheme covers a range of short-term drug treatments. You can see your pharmacist up to twice every six months for most conditions in the scheme. The pharmacist may need to refer you back to your GP if more treatment is necessary. If appropriate, the pharmacist will supply you with medicine. This medicine is only for you. It may not be the right medicine for other peope, even if they have the same symptons.

What do I have to do next?
You need to go to yur GP surgery to get a voucher for the scheme. You will only need to do this the first time you use the scheme. Take this voucher to your local pharmacy. You will then be registered at this pharmacy for advice and treatment whenever you need it. Next time you use the scheme, you will need to go to the same pharmacy that you registered with.

Will I need an appointment to see the pharmacist?
One of the great things about this scheme is that you do not need an appointment to see the pharmacist. You can just pop in when you need to.

What will the pharmacist ask?
The pharmacist will ask you about your symptoms in order to give the right advice. You will be asked about any other medication you might be taking. Everything you say to the pharmacist is confidential. Make sure you tell your GP about any advice and treatment the pharmacist has given you.

Please note, you need to be registered with a GP in Tower Hamlets to access this scheme.

I'd recommend to anyone living in Tower Hamlets to register for this scheme. Okay so you can only use it about 4 times a year, but especially if you are exempt from prescription charges anyway, it means you can stock up on and cold medicine in the winter and headache pills etc. the rest of the year without having to pay a penny nor having to see the GP.
I call that moneysaving!