ASK THE DOC: Can community pharmacies in the Highlands help me with a minor illness?
Q. I keep hearing lots about pharmacists and how they are a helpful resource. What exactly can they help me with?
A. If you have a minor illness, a pharmacy is the first place you should go for advice. You do not usually need an appointment and you can go to any pharmacy.
Your local pharmacist or a trained member of the pharmacy team will give you advice and provide medicine if needed.
They may need to refer you to another healthcare professional such as your GP practice, dentist, optometrist or another NHS service if they feel your condition needs further investigation or more specialist care.
Pharmacists and their teams are experts in medicines and can help with minor health concerns. A pharmacist, or a member of the pharmacy team, can give you advice and treatment (if you need it) for various minor illnesses and common clinical conditions.
If you want a specific medicine or product, you may need to buy it. The pharmacist will give you advice on this.
Some pharmacists have an additional prescribing qualification which allows them to prescribe a wider range of medicines, normally only available from your GP practice.
If the pharmacist, or a member of their team, thinks it is better for you to see your GP or another healthcare professional, they may refer you directly or tell you to make an appointment.
Q. I struggle to keep on top of my various medications and sometimes run out unexpectedly. How do I access medicines when my GP is unavailable?
A. If you’ve run out of medication and your GP is closed, our NHS Inform self-help guide can help. Visit www.nhsinform.scot and search for “accessing medicines” for how to get what you need locally.
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