“More important than ever” Ask Your Pharmacist Week gets underway

Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2019 begins today - an initiative by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and the NHS to build public understanding of community pharmacy services and the clinical skills of pharmacists.

The campaign reminds people to use pharmacies as the first port of call for clinical advice and treatment for minor illnesses such as coughs, colds, eye infections and earache. It describes the development of health services in pharmacies and aims to reduce unnecessary GP appointments and hospital visits.

NPA Head of Communications, Stephen Fishwick, said:

“Community pharmacists are highly qualified health care professionals, who can provide clinical advice for common illnesses and support you to stay well. Pharmacists work with other professionals, such as doctors and nurses, to give you the best possible care, as part of the local NHS team. During Ask Your Pharmacist week we are urging people to make the most of this highly accessible local resource.”

“With so much changing in pharmacy and so much riding on the successful implementation of new clinical services, it is perhaps more important than ever that the public understands the journey community pharmacy is taking. There is an ongoing need for awareness initiatives like Ask Your Pharmacist Week, so that more people get the care they need at a time and place convenient to them.”

Activities during Ask Your Pharmacist Week, which runs from 11th to 18th November, include a social media campaign, public exhibitions, window posters and newspaper adverts, all urging people to make the most of the prompt, professional advice available in community pharmacies.

Follow the campaign on social media using #askyourpharmacist