Emma Anderson

We now offer chickenpox vaccination in our pharmacies. This post tells you more about having a  chickenpox vaccine in one of our pharmacies.   Chickenpox Chickenpox is a highly infectious and unpleasant disease. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus. Did you know that up to 90% of people who have not had chickenpox before can catch it from a household contact? It is most common in children below the age of ten, in whom it usually causes mild disease. It can be more serious in adults, particularly pregnant... Read More

This post details information from the NHS Stay well campaign on how to protect yourself from winter illnesses. The post tells you how to prevent and manage five common winter illnesses and conditions. Colds You can help prevent colds by washing your hands regularly. This destroys germs that you may have picked up from touching surfaces used by other people, such as light switches and door handles. The poster below shows you the NHS hand washing technique – did you know that it should take you as long as it... Read More

European antibiotic awareness day was on Saturday 18th November. This campaign aims to increase awareness of global antibiotic resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.  This page tell you what you can do to ensure that the antibiotics that we use remain effective. What is antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance means that medicines used to treat infections no longer kill bacteria as well as they used to. Resistance happens, to some extent, over... Read More

This month pharmacy professionals across England are updating their skills in supporting people taking medicines for their mental health. One of the aspects of mental health that we have been looking at is five ways to wellbeing. Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.  The NHS choices website tells us that if you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life. Information in this post is taken from the NHS Choices website.   What is wellbeing? Sarah... Read More

We provide flu vaccines and private travel health services in all of our pharmacies. But did you know that we can come out and provide vaccines in your workplace ? We will arrange for a pharmacist to run a vaccine clinic in your workplace at a time that is convenient to you. Flu vaccines in your work place We offer flu vaccine clinics in the workplace. We will send questionnaires to be completed in advance of the clinic so that the service runs efficiently. Flu can be very unpleasant. Experts expect the flu season... Read More

As part of our Healthy Living Pharmacy project, we are featuring messages from the Think! Driving campaign in our pharmacies in Rushcliffe, you can find out more about the campaign by visiting the campaign website http://think.direct.gov.uk/index.html   Why driving? You might not think that a campaign on driving is an obvious choice for a pharmacy. However, whilst public health in Rushcliffe is generally good, the rate of people killed and seriously injured on roads is worse than average.  The risks of serious injuries and deaths on roads are higher in... Read More

  In the media recently there have been articles about antibiotics. Some reports suggested that you might not need to complete the course. So what is the evidence behind the headlines?   One study is not enough evidence to change practice The recent media reports came after just one study published in the Lancet. The study claimed that doctors could be able to prescribe shorter courses of medicines to treat infections. However, this was just one study. Different studies can be contradictory. So NHS England have concluded that much more evidence is... Read More

Po Recently in the media there have been reports about reducing your risk of getting dementia. Did you know that one in three cases of dementia could be prevented if more people looked after their brain health throughout life, according to an international study in the Lancet? So what can you do to reduce your risks?   Reducing your dementia risk throughout your life Did you know that people who complete secondary school are less likely to get dementia? Some experts are looking into the benefits of building a “cognitive... Read More

Are you going away? Have you packed your medicines? This post contains a general travel health medicines checklist. Please call into one of our branches and speak to a member of staff to get specific advice for your plans. Medicines Checklist First Aid kit – containing plasters, antiseptic spray, thermometer, scissors, various dressings, adhesive tape Consider sterile needles and syringes, IV kit Insect Bites – antihistamines, steroid cream, insect repellent, mosquito net, plug in insecticide vaporiser Water purification – water disinfectant tablets or drops Sun cream – High factor UVA/B Sun cream... Read More

Is your NHS exemption paperwork up to date? We were concerned to read this article in the media recently on increased patient fines. The article states that patient prescription fines have doubled in a year. Often this is because people who are exempt from prescription charges have forgotten to renew paperwork. People with medical conditions such as diabetes often think that they are exempt from charges. Whilst this is true, paperwork needs to be renewed, this is not automatic. Do pharmacists check exemptions? Often support staff will ask to see... Read More