Local MSP Graham Simpson today urged people to think “Pharmacy First” when they are in need of professional health advice.
Graham Simpson MSP was speaking after visiting Deans Pharmacy in East Kilbride, where he saw first-hand the range of services offered by healthcare professionals in the heart of our communities.
Graham Simpson said “The advice and care that our community pharmacies can offer is considerable, and there is a great attraction in that people can see a healthcare professional without an appointment. Their pharmacy teams can offer a range of advice and treatment on minor illnesses and can also help to signpost appropriate care within the NHS if required.
“This is convenient and simple for patients, and also frees up valuable time for our under-pressure GPs and A&E departments to deal with more complex matters.”
As well as looking at the Pharmacy First opportunities, the MSP also discussed a range of other pharmacy services including smoking cessation, emergency hormonal contraception, and the gluten-free food service.
Pharmacy owner and Pharmacist John Connolly said: “I think Graham Simpson MSP got a real insight into the range of services and opportunities that maximising the professional abilities of our community pharmacies and their trained staff can offer.
“We have a network of 1257 community pharmacies in Scotland, all of them offering health and clinical services right in the heart of Scotland’s communities, often six days a week and on a walk-in basis. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through the doors of community pharmacies across Scotland each year, and we need to ensure we are doing all we can to get the message out to people to make use of pharmacists and their teams.”
