The British health care system has its strengths and weaknesses. Free medical advice and treatment is excellent, especially when compared to pricey treatment in countries like America. However, we are often hard pressed to find a doctor that can see us when we need them, having to wait weeks for an appointment if we cannot get out of work. So if we cannot get in at the doctor’s surgery, how else can we get top class health care and advice? A busy accident and emergency room is the last place you would want to be for a more minor or less urgent health question, even for the hypochondriacs of us out there. Our high street pharmacists are becoming the number one port of call for all my health needs, especially since they are so well trained and up to date with health issues.

From May 1 2006, there has been the opportunity for pharmacists to become an independent prescriber so they can prescribe licensed medicines for any medical conditions they have familiarity with. Once the pharmacist gained the qualification, they are known as a Pharmacist independent prescriber.

This will make it much easier for people living and working in the UK to get access to licensed medicines without having to book a doctor’s appointment or take time off from their job. You will be able to have an appointment with a qualified professional just by going into your high street pharmacy. Just because you are not speaking to a doctor does not mean you will be able to scam the pharmacist into giving you unnecessary drugs. Just like you would be asked questions by your doctor and expected to show any physical signs of your illness, your pharmacist will expect the same.

Before they are allowed to prescribe licensed drugs, pharmaceutical consultants will go through extensive training. Spotting for substance abuse and recognising symptoms is included in the training that independent prescribers will be given before they are qualified.

If you need health care but do not have the time to wait to see a GP, a Pharmacist independent prescriber should be your first call. Unless you have a medical emergency or a very difficult case, they should be able to treat you or give you advice. The pharmacists will do their best to get you feeling right as rain again as soon as possible.

Share This

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 12:55 am and is filed under Learning Problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.