Love your pharmacist this February

From blood pressure checks to emergency contraception, as well as treatment for 7 common conditions, the great work of local pharmacists is being celebrated this February.

Our network of more than 90 community pharmacies have recently hit two milestones, with the first anniversary of the Pharmacy First scheme and the third year of the Walk In Consultation Service (WICS) running in Cornwall.

WICS was the successful pilot for Pharmacy First and launched across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in January 2021. The service has now seen more than 38,000 patient consultations, with 80% of those patients receiving advice or treatment before leaving the pharmacy.

This has also resulted in the avoidance of more than 500 unnecessary trips to the emergency department, according to Community Pharmacy Cornwall which has provided statistics on the success of WICS.

Both initiatives were introduced to enable safe and accessible healthcare, by allowing patients to receive treatment for minor ailments directly from community pharmacies without needing a GP appointment.

Dr Chris Reid, chief medical officer for NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board said:

"Our community pharmacies are doing a great job by offering a simple and quick way to access treatment. This has reduced patient waiting times and freed up GP appointments for those with more complex health issues. We know that many people love the ease and convenience of being able to pop into a local pharmacy to get the help they need.”

Pharmacy First launched on 31 January 2024 with the main aim of treating 7 common conditions, these are sinusitis, sore throats, childhood earaches, insect bites, skin infections, shingles, and urinary tract infections.

Both services are still running and patients can walk in to their local pharmacy for an on-the-day consultation instead of calling or attending their GP practice. This is proving particularly convenient during the winter months and seasonally when holiday makers are in the county adding additional pressures to local services.

Nick Kaye is the CEO of Community Pharmacy Cornwall and said:

“Community pharmacies in Cornwall have led the way with our England first walk in service, in fact the success of this service has led to further national service being commissioned in the form of Pharmacy First. Community pharmacy teams across Cornwall should feel proud of their hard work and commitment to patient care.”

Alongside these initiatives, pharmacists can carry out health screenings such as blood pressure checks, cholesterol tests and diabetes monitoring to help detect and manage health conditions early.

They can provide emergency contraceptives and certain vaccinations, such as flu, COVID-19 and travel. Find your local pharmacist using NHS Find a pharmacy tool.

Pharmacists are trained and highly skilled in treating minor illness. They are able to recognise ‘red flag’ symptoms that could indicate more serious illness and can support patients to get urgent care if needed.

February is National Heart Month, so as well as visiting your local pharmacist for a blood pressure check, Healthy Cornwall is also offering checks at libraries across the county, while promoting the fact that every library across Cornwall provides blood pressure monitors for local people to borrow to monitor their own blood pressure. Find out which local library is running healthy heart events near you.

Preventing and tackling high blood pressure is a priority of the NHS, which is seeking the views of local people that will help shape future services. Please spare 5 minutes to share your views in a quick survey:

www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Cornwall-BP

NHS Cornwall is also running Winter of Wellbeing events in February throughout the county and on the Isles of Scilly. Another great opportunity to get checked, to pick up advice on health and wellbeing, and importantly the events are also a chance to have your say on the future of the NHS at workshops.

Find out more about the Winter of Wellbeing events by visiting the NHS Cornwall website: NHS 10-year health plan - NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly