It’s national Ask Your Pharmacist Week (30 October – 6 November), so we at Buckley Pharmacy would like to remind you about the four fantastic teams here at your service.
Our pharmacists
Our pharmacists train for five years before they can qualify – learning about the human body, the use of medicines to treat disease and diagnosing common illnesses. After that they undergo continuing professional development, so that their skills are always up to date. Very importantly, they know how to spot the signs of serious illness and will refer you to a doctor or other suitable healthcare professional for a check-up or for treatment if necessary.
Aside from the pharmacist, every member of the pharmacy teams here at Buckley Pharmacy is currently in or has undergone regulated training in order to provide an effective service and keep you safe.
The pharmacy team
Pharmacists are supported by a team of trained staff working under their direct supervision. They can include:
Pre-registration Pharmacists, who have completed four years at university and are in their obligatory year of work experience before they can independently register
Pharmacy technicians, registered healthcare professionals and skilled members of the pharmacy team who dispense, advise on and issue a range of medicines to patients
Dispensing assistants, who support the pharmacist in dispensing prescriptions and the management of dispensary stock
Medicines counter assistants, who carry out a range of essential tasks to support the rest of the team, such as giving advice on over-the-counter medicines and safely handing out prescriptions
Delivery drivers, who safely deliver medications to our housebound patients within legal guidelines
Furthermore, during covid jab season we have several nurses joining our teams to get all the vaccinations done safely and efficiently!
Pharmacy in the NHS
Pharmacies are part of the NHS family and the range of clinical services provided by community pharmacies has expanded significantly in recent years. You have always been able to get prescription medicines, urgent care for common illnesses, lifestyle support and medicines advice to help you manage your long-term medicinal conditions. The NHS has built on this, with new services such as blood pressure checks for the over 40s and the New Medicines Service, which sees our pharmacists help you the best start with your new medications.
We like to think people trust us partly because of our place at the heart of the community, as well as our medical knowledge and skills. It’s also better understood these days that we’re part of the wider NHS team and have access to patients’ summary care records, which helps us to keep you safe and well.
Most of the time the pharmacy team will be able to give you whatever advice and treatment you need, but sometimes we will refer you to a doctor or a nurse for further help. For example, if we spot something that indicates there might be a serious underlying condition that requires further investigation. We are trained to spot so-called ‘red flag symptoms’ and it is quite common for pharmacists to signpost you to fellow health care professionals or even make formal referrals into NHS care pathways.
So, for NHS services, convenient access to medicines, support for healthy living and prompt clinical advice, Ask Your Pharmacist!
