Realising you have a problem with alcohol is the first big step to getting help.

You may need help if:

• you often feel the need to have a drink
• you get into trouble because of your drinking
• other people warn you about how much you’re drinking
• you think your drinking is causing you problems

A good place to start is with your Pharmacist. Try to be accurate and honest about how much you drink and any problems it may be causing you.

If you have become dependent on alcohol, you will have found it difficult to fully control your drinking in some way.

So you’ll probably need some help either to cut down and control your drinking or stop completely and also some plans to maintain the improvement after that.

What Protection do Condoms Provide?

A condom is the only kind of contraception that can prevent pregnancy and protect against contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including chlamydia, HIV and gonorrhoea. Both male and female condoms are made with the express purpose of stopping male semen from penetrating the woman’s uterus and making contact with an egg – this is known as a ‘barrier’ contraception and is 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. Condoms are made out of latex, a type of rubber. Those with an allergy to latex can use an option like polyurethane, polyisoprene or lambskin to get the same level of protection without the discomfort. 

Care Must be Taken when Being Used.

If you are trying to avoid unintended pregnancy, take extra care when removing your condom from the packet and when you are putting it on. Even the slightest of tears and rips can break the condom and lead to semen entering the vagina. 

What Services do we Offer?

Help to protect your sexual health with our condom supply service. With a large number of types and sizes on the market, choosing the correct condoms can be daunting. Our in-store selection is designed to be as simple and reliable as possible. 

Be mindful of the quantity you are likely to use and the expiry date of condoms, so you can choose a condom that suits your needs. If your condom has split during sex and contact has been made between you and your partner, then emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible.

Emergency contraception (morning after pill, IUD)

There are 2 types of emergency contraception:

• the emergency contraceptive pill – Levonelle or ellaOne (the “morning after” pill)
• the intrauterine device (IUD or coil)

Ask your local Pharmacist for more details.

Emergency Supply of Prescription Medicines

As your local community pharmacy, we have a duty of care to our patients. We can supply prescription-only medicine (POMs) without a prescription if one of our patients is in urgent need of the medicine or if a prescriber recommends their patient to us. 

The medicine that you require must have been prescribed by a health care professional registered in the UK; a doctor, independent prescriber, dentist or medical practitioner. There are a series of conditions that must be met before the medication can be supplied. We will conduct a consultation to ensure the supply of your medication fulfils the category of an emergency supply.

Is the Service Free?

Note, this is a private service that isn’t funded by the NHS. The cost will vary depending on the medicine and the amount that is required. We can refuse an emergency supply if your need isn’t really necessary or serious. In such cases, we will provide you with advice on how to access medical care, or we may refer you to another pharmacy or local GP. Call our pharmacy for more details.

The flu jab

Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy it will usually clear up on its own within a week.

However, flu can be more severe in certain people, such as:

• anyone aged 65 and over
• pregnant women
• children and adults with an underlying health condition (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease)
• children and adults with weakened immune systems

Anyone in these risk groups is more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia (a lung infection), so it’s recommended that they have a flu vaccine every year to protect them.

The injected flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS annually to:

• adults over the age of 18 at risk of flu (including everyone aged 65 and over)
• pregnant women
• children aged 6 months to 2 years at risk of flu

Find out more about who should have the flu jab.

Where to get the flu jab

All your local Imaan Pharmacies will be stocking flu jabs. If you would like to book please contact your local branch.

What is Independent Prescribing?

Registered under the regulatory body GPhC, pharmacist independent prescribers are solely accountable for the evaluation of a patient’s health with previously diagnosed conditions or to diagnose new conditions; as well as for decisions relating to the prescription of medication required to help and support the issues they have found. 

Independent prescribing by pharmacists is very common today. There are many services currently offered in General Practice and hospitals delivered by pharmacist independent prescribers. A number of community pharmacies are also employing the skilled services of pharmacist independent prescribers. Our pharmacist independent prescribers use their initiative and have a vast knowledge of medical conditions and practices to:

• assess and evaluate your health
• provide impartial advice to help you manage your condition effectively
• make clinical decisions, including prescribing medication
• make referrals to specialists for specific issues

Your Relationship with an Independent Prescriber

A good relationship between a patient and the pharmacist independent prescriber is important. Continuing to visit the same practitioner allows for a better understanding of your regular health patterns and makes symptom spotting far easier. Clinical records will be made of all prescriptions, referrals and recommendations ensuring that all information will be up to date and easily amendable if issues or prescriptions change.

What Happens Next?

Our pharmacist independent prescriber will offer you a detailed consultation which will include taking a history, a number of clinical observations and clinical examinations. This will form the bulk of your assessment. Once complete, they may decide it is appropriate to prescribe you a course of medication for the condition that has been determined. They may alternatively decide that you need a referral to your GP or more urgently, the hospital.

Our pharmacist independent prescribers are able to offer their services for a number of acute urgent care conditions and also a number of long term chronic conditions (conditions apply).

Minor ailments and common conditions your pharmacy can help with

What is the Needle and Syringe Exchange Service?

The Needle and Syringe Exchange Service is a free, impartial and confidential service provided to those who regularly inject drugs. Exchanging used needles and syringes reduces your chances of contracting deadly viruses and diseases.

This scheme is important as it helps those who use injectable drugs to stay as safe as possible.

What does the Service Provide?

Under the service, those willing to take the first step will be provided with free access to new, sterilised needle and syringe packets. Users can also dispose of their used needles and syringes to the pharmacy in a hygienic and safe manner.

What Diseases are Commonly Found in Used Needles and Syringes?

Most diseases and infections caught from needles and syringes are bloodborne. They are contracted by the blood to blood contact you’d expect from the instruments being shared.

Common diseases that can be contracted are:

• Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Hepatitis C (HCV)
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

What we will do to Help

We will help you to dispose of any dangerous needles and syringes and provide you with new and sterile equipment. We will discuss your issues in an impartial and private manner and offer our full support if you choose to go ahead with further action to stop your usage.

About the New Medicine Service (NMS)

Trying to quit your smoking habit doesn’t need to be done alone. Help is important to keep you on track to ensure you achieve your goal of being smoke-free. As part of the NHS Public Health initiative, the smoking cessation service is a free support platform for those who are finally ready to quit.

Why Smoking Cessation Support is Important:

Those attempting to stop smoking may use self-control and determination to cut down. This sometimes alone may not be enough to stop altogether as cravings will slowly start to set in as nicotine withdrawal can be difficult to manage. Don’t give up! You can help us use that restraint and willpower to quit smoking.

If you are quitting smoking due to health concerns, then you may already know the risks that are associated with the chemicals and nicotine found inside them. Some of the more dangerous and life-threatening illness and diseases that can be caused by smoking includes:

• Several cancers, notably lung cancer, oesophageal cancer and mouth cancer
• Cardiovascular issues like heart disease and heart attacks
• Increases in strokes
• Damage to blood circulation
• Impotence

If you are pregnant, then smoking can lead to:

• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Your baby being born underweight

Not only does smoking affect the individual, but second-hand smoke can also harm your family or friends. The likelihood of developing dangerous cancers and heart attacks increases by roughly 25% in those exposed to daily smoking inhalation. Children and teenagers are more susceptible to developing respiratory issues like asthma and meningitis if they are exposed daily. 

Our professional pharmacists can sign you up for the smoking cessation service and provide you with impartial advice and support.

• Access to comprehensive, 1 to 1 support with a qualified stop smoking adviser
• Access to a group environment if you prefer to share with those in a similar situation to you
• Access to nicotine replacement therapy, available on prescription
• Advice on the best technique to get the most out of your product
• Phone and E-mail support if you need someone to talk to

What is an NHS Health Check?

The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40-74. It’s designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.

We offer the Lipotrim Weight loss scheme to help you manage your diet and weight loss.

Lipotrim is a nutrient complete, very low-calorie food formula which meets all the necessary criteria for reliable and safe weight loss. It is a total food replacement programme developed in the UK by qualified nutritionists and experts in weight management.

The Lipotrim total food replacement programme is only offered by weight management trained healthcare professionals. It is not available online.

You stop eating all conventional foods and replace them with the nutritionally complete formula foods.

By maximizing the calorie gap, whilst still maintaining nutritional health, the body draws on its reserves of sugar and excess fat to meet the body’s energy requirements. This happens regardless of the calories required by each individual. Lipotrim is, therefore, an excellent diet choice whether you are highly active or sedentary.

You are not living on a reduced amount of calories, just changing the source of calories. You will feel comfortable, healthy and ultimately in control.

You should aim to consume a minimum of 2 to 4 litres of water, plus optional black tea and black coffee only.

If you are compliant on Lipotrim you can expect to lose approximately 1 stone per month (females) and 1.5 stone per month (males), though individual weight loss results may vary.

Why is Supervised Consumption of Prescribed Medicines important?

When a pharmacist or GP prescribes a patient their medication, the prescriber has a duty of care to their patients. Safety of the patient is a necessity when they’re consuming medication that is considered high-risk. Drug misuse has been and continues to be a prominent issue facing the health of the general public. This extends to medication prescriptions too. If supervision is provided for those who need it, then it can drastically reduce the risk of harm to the individual, their family and the local community.

Pharmacist’s role in Supervised Consumption of Prescribed Medicines:

Our pharmacists ensure the supply of medicines to patients is accurate and is clinically appropriate. In some cases, prescribers request that the administration of the medication is also supervised.

Drug dependency

Our pharmacists will work closely with those who take illegal drugs through the supervised consumption of prescribed medicines service. They will do this with the dispensing of substitute drugs – for instance, methadone, buprenorphine and suboxone – that allow the user to detox and gradually withdraw from their dependency. Pharmacists will monitor and support those under the supervised consumption service, so they are getting the best use out of their medication.

Medication that isn’t dependency-based

If the medication you are receiving under your prescription isn’t dependency related, but still placed under supervised consumption by your GP or prescriber, then you will be offered impartial and professional advice during your supervision meetings to make sure you are consuming the medication correctly. If you feel that you require extra support, your pharmacist can refer you to a specialist carer or your GP.