Helping you with your asthma care.

A pharmacist is another health expert you can turn to for asthma advice and support, and you usually don't need an appointment. As well as your GP or asthma nurse, your local pharmacist is another highly trained healthcare professional who can answer questions about your asthma. If you have any concerns about your asthma, you can just walk into our pharmacies, and ask to see the pharmacist.

This is useful because:

• you don't need an appointment
• our pharmacies are often open outside of GP surgery hours
• our pharmacies have private consultation rooms
• our pharmacists can explain to you how to make the most of your medicine and how to use inhalers correctly
• you can ask about free prescription collection services, peak flow checks, stop smoking and losing weight advice.

Ask the pharmacist how to get the best from your asthma medicines. You can ask your pharmacist about the asthma medicines you've been prescribed. This is useful if you have concerns about things like side effects, using your inhaler, or your inhaler not working properly. You can also ask about any over-the-counter medicines you're taking to help your asthma, such as anti-histamines for hay fever.

This service is available to all patients of our pharmacies who suffer from asthma — no appointment is needed; simply self-present at our pharmacies and one of our friendly professionals will be happy to assist you further.

The C-Card (Condom Card) scheme gives young people quick and easy access to condoms. It also offers a safe environment where it is easy to seek advice and information about sexual health topics and relationships. C-card is a free and confidential service for young people under the age of 25 — you don't even need to be sexually active. If you are thinking about having sex you can register and be ready. 

Registration involves having a chat with a C-Card trained worker who will talk to you about how the scheme works, if it is appropriate for you and talk you through how to use a condom. They’ll also chat to you about safer sex, emergency contraception, drug and alcohol use, legal issues, confidentiality, and anything else you might want to discuss. You will then be given your C-Card. 

Once you have your C-Card, you can use it at any distribution point across Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle to pick up free condoms.

With no appointments needed, an easily accessible location at the heart of our communities, and just a quick consultation, we ensure a hassle free service to all our patients. Simply walk in and ask to speak to our friendly and professional Pharmacist about the morning after pill.

Our Pharmacist will need to see the person that the emergency contraception is intended for, and will need to ask a few questions regarding the patients’ medical history. This is done in the privacy of our consultation room and everything discussed is in complete confidence. The sooner you come to our pharmacy to take the morning after pill, the greater the chances of avoiding pregnancy.

If the Pharmacist feels like Levonelle One Step is not suitable for you, they will not give you the morning after pill, but advise you to see your health care professional.

About Emergency Contraception (Levonelle One Step):

When it comes to sex, even if you’ve taken precautions, sometimes things don’t quite go to plan. Accidents happen with contraception and things go wrong all the time. You may even just be worried that your contraceptive pill hasn’t worked. If you’ve had unprotected sex or you’re worried about contraception failure, here is some of the information you need to know about Levonelle One Step:

• Levonelle One Step is an emergency contraceptive that can be used within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected sex or if your contraceptive method has failed.
• There is one white tablet in the pack and it is most effective when taken within the first 12 hours
• The tablet contains a hormone called Levonorgestrel.
• Levonelle One Step is thought to work by stopping your ovaries from releasing an egg or by preventing sperm from fertilising any egg that may have already been released
• If you are over 16 you can get Levonelle One Step over the counter at our Pharmacy
• If you are under 16 you cannot buy Levonelle One Step at the Pharmacy, you need to visit your GP or a Walk-In centre
• Levonelle One Step works to prevent a pregnancy becoming established, it does not work if you are already pregnant
• You should only use Levonelle One Step in emergencies, not as a regular form of contraception

Please note, there are other emergency contraceptive options available through your doctor or at a Walk-In centre.

If you do have any questions or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Emergency access to medicine, when you need it most.

If you need one of your regular medicines in an emergency when you are unable to contact your surgery (e.g. due to opening times), we may be able to help, with proof the medication is supplied regularly to you through our records or through other means. We can issue you with a temporary supply of your medicine, to last until you are able to access a prescription through usual means.

We must stress that this can only be performed in genuine emergencies and will incur a charge. This supply is not available for scheduled Controlled Drugs. This service is provided at the pharmacists' discretion at our sites.

Healthy feet are happy feet.

Our friendly delivery drivers can deliver prescriptions no matter the weather, to those who are housebound, who need it the most for our pharmacy patients. Our service operates on over our entire pharmacy service areas, and even further afield. One of our drivers has even won 'Pharmacy Delivery Driver of the Year' for 2019 in the North of Tyne Local Pharmaceutical Council Awards for his excellence in prioritising the healthcare and wellbeing of our patients.

To find out more about eligibility and registration, please contact us at our individual pharmacies where we can further assist you.

Our Pharmacists can advise you on the best course of treatment and prevention for headlice, and our pharmacies stock a wide range of medicines to combat and treat the presence of headlice effectively.

Headlice and nits are very common in young children. They don’t have anything to do with dirty hair and are usually picked up from head-to-head contact. Headlice are small insects, up to 3mm long and can be difficult to spot. Head lice eggs (nits) are yellow, brown or white (empty shells) and are attached to the hair. Head lice can make your head feel itchy or like something is moving in your hair. The only way to be sure someone has head lice is by finding live lice or eggs. You can do this by combing their hair with a special fine-toothed comb.

Travelling to a country where malaria is prevalent? Medication is essential.

Every year many hundreds of travellers from the UK catch malaria and in tens of cases it is fatal. Symptoms can start rapidly. The correct anti-malarial medication is essential. We offer a Private Malaria Prevention Service. After a confidential assessment by a trained Pharmacist, the correct anti-malarial medication is supplied and appropriate advice given to the patient. 

Please contact us to arrange a time that is suitable to undergo this assessment, to ensure we have stocks of any anti-malarials required, and staff availability for this day. If you have any further questions or queries, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Malaria — just one drop can be fatal. Get the advice and support you need before you set off.

We're here to look after your health.

A Medicines Use Review (MUR) is an opportunity for our Pharmacist, an expert healthcare professional, to discuss and review the medicines you are taking to ensure you are using them correctly and getting the maximum benefit, at no cost. We will explain clearly and simply what they are for, the conditions they treat, and then identify any possible side effects that you may be experiencing. We will listen to you and any problems you are having with your medicines, provide advice and support and if necessary contact your Doctor to discuss any issues that arise from our conversation.

An MUR can help:

• improve your understanding of the medicines you are taking;
• highlight problematic side effects and propose solutions where appropriate;
• improve adherence;
• reduce medicines wastage, usually by helping you only order the medicines you need.

Patients must meet certain criteria to be offered this service — such as having attended one of our pharmacies for at least three consecutive months, or having had a recent change in circumstances. Please contact us if you have any questions or queries surrounding this service, and its eligibility criteria.

Our friendly professional staff teams have received extensive training on pain and analgesia, and can offer advice and support on living with migraines, and treating them.

We stock a wide range of pharmacy-strength migraine relief medications in all of our pharmacies, to help you deal with your symptoms and suppress any pain. We will listen to your concerns, and if we feel that you require further advice or support, we can also refer you to appropriate services such as your General Practitioner.

Our Pharmacies are here for you, and can help you with a wide range of common ailments, without the need to visit a GP.

The service includes the following illnesses:

• Aches and pains
• Bites and stings
• Chicken pox
• Colds
• Cold sores
• Colic
• Conjunctivitis
• Constipation
• Cystitis in women
• Diarrhoea
• Ear wax
• Eczema or dermatitis
• Haemorrhoids
• Hay fever
• Head lice
• Mouth ulcers
• Nappy rash
• Teething
• Threadworm
• Thrush
• Verrucas
  
• Warts

Find out more about this service →

The seasonal flu is not uncommon, but can pose health risks to the general population, especially the elderly. Therefore the NHS provide a free flu vaccination service to all those over 65, in addition to others with certain conditions.

You can have a free NHS flu Jab at our pharmacy:
• If you are 65 years of age or over
• If you are pregnant
• If you are a carer

If you have certain medical conditions including:
• Asthma
• Chronic Respiratory Disease
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney Disease
• Liver Disease
• Neurological Disease

Prior to Flu Season commencing, we will further advertise this service both within our pharmacies and online, and will provide a webpage detailing our approach to flu vaccinations for the following winter, including all information you should need to know, and how to organise and book a Flu Vaccination if eligible.

Please contact us if you have further questions or queries surrounding this service.

When you are prescribed a new medicine by your doctor, our pharmacists can offer free support and advice to ensure you take the new medication as prescribed without suffering any unwanted side effects, and explain any further questions you may have. We usually do this by keeping in contact with you during the first 4 weeks of your new medicine being prescribed.

The service is only available for people living in England, and only for those who have been prescribed a new medicine for the conditions listed:

• asthma
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• people who have been given a new blood-thinning medicine

The NMS can help:

• improve your adherence (taking your medicines correctly) which will generally lead to better health outcomes
• increase your engagement with your condition and medicines, supporting you to make decisions about your treatment and self-management
• reduce medicines wastage
• reduce hospital admissions due to adverse events from medicines.

When you have been issued a new prescription meeting the eligibility criteria above, you will be offered the service when collecting your medication, where we will explain the service to you, its benefits, and obtain your consent to provide the service to you if desired.

Free access to Nicotine Replacement Therapy, to help you quit for good.

We accept and process Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) vouchers that have been issued by your stop smoking practitioner. This allows you free access to a wide range of Nicotine Replacement Therapy products, to help combat cravings and encourage you to give up smoking for good. The best treatment option tailored to you will be discussed with your practitioner, but our pharmacists and our own advisors can help you with any questions or queries you have, and instruct you on how to use your NRT issued.

To use your vouchers, you can simply present at any of our pharmacies with your voucher, and we can issue the NRT preffered for you, and any advice to go with it.

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats we have ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. According to the NHS, in the UK alone, smoking kills over 80,000 people every year and a further 500,000 people are admitted into hospital as a direct result of smoking.

Smoking has been linked to countless conditions from depression, infertility and asthma, to the more serious conditions such as lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. It’s really not surprising that this is the case when you consider how many harmful substances there are in a cigarette. They have thousands of different chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing), and examples of others being acetone (used as nail polish remover), lead and cadmium (a highly toxic metal.)

The truth of the matter is, we all know how bad smoking is for our health, and a majority of smokers will say that they want to quit but giving up can be hard. Especially without the right help and support. That’s where our friendly and professional staff teams can help.

There is now more support than ever before, not just in the form of information, but also products designed to reduce cravings and to fight off any withdrawal symptoms. One of the developments has been the introduction of Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT.) There are a variety of NRT products available:

• Patches
• Gum
• Inhalators
• Mouth Sprays
• Nasal Sprays
• Tablets
• Lozenges

Smoking is addictive because of the nicotine in cigarettes. That is why it is hard to quit. By starting one or even a combination of the above therapies, they will give a smoker a dose of nicotine in their blood. This reduces the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings, whilst they break away from the psychological habit of smoking.

Our staff can advise you on the best way to quit, specifically tailored to you as an individual. Initially, our stop-smoking advisors within our pharmacies will be able to provide you with a free consultation, to determine what the best approach will be to help you quit smoking, for good. We may also offer additional advice and support, or suggest certain routines to further aid in your endeavours to quit.

The benefit of having this support is that we are there 7 days a week whenever you need help, or even just a friendly professional to speak with. It is a proven fact that if you receive support while trying to stop smoking your chance for success is greatly increased.

Joining the service

You can join our stop-smoking service or seek additional support in quitting smoking by simply self-presenting at one of our pharmacy sites. If you'd like further information, or would like to organise to join the service without calling in to one of our branches, don't hesitate to contact us.

• Complete and effective ordering of Medication and Appliances.
• Continuous stock of uncommon medicines, such as palliative care drugs.
• Safe Storage of Medication.
  
• Thorough Record Keeping for any Audit purposes.
• Highly trained and experienced staff who understand the demands of a Nursing/Care home.
• Medicines Use Review for your residents.
• We can offer advice on ways of delivering medicines to patients.
• Use of Dosette Boxes if required to aid residents' medicines management.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you as a Residential Home or Nursing Home service provider have any queries about our services offered.

We provide a palliative care service.  Palliative care drugs can sometimes be required quickly and this service ensures that there is appropriate access to a range of palliative care drugs, particularly outside of normal opening hours, and when treatment is needed urgently.

Many of the drugs used in palliative care are not usually used for other conditions and are often not stocked in community pharmacies.  As a  palliative care service provider we hold a stock of palliative care drugs for when needed right away.  The service is suitable for patients receiving palliative care and those providing their care.

We keep records of all your prescriptions dispensed by us as well as records of other services we provide to you. This helps us check for possible problems, such as reactions between medicines and will help us deal with any queries you may have.  Our systems allow us to keep these records, and help inform us whilst providing you with the highest quality of care possible. Our enhanced prescription services, such as our 24-hour prescription collection service, also allow us to inform you of when your prescription is ready to collect.

We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code of practice on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, then please contact us, or speak with a member of our team at one of our sites. You can read our Privacy Policy at the bottom of all of our webpages.

Our Pharmacies are here for you, and can help you with a wide range of common ailments, without the need to visit a GP.

The service includes the following illnesses:

• Aches and pains
• Bites and stings
• Chicken pox
• Colds
• Cold sores
• Colic
• Conjunctivitis
• Constipation
• Cystitis in women
• Diarrhoea
• Ear wax
• Eczema or dermatitis
• Haemorrhoids
• Hay fever
• Head lice
• Mouth ulcers
• Nappy rash
• Teething
• Threadworm
• Thrush
• Verrucas
  
• Warts

Find out more about this service →

Influenza, although not uncommon, can pose risks to your health and inconvenience to you with illness and flu-like symptoms that can persist for a number of days or weeks. We offer a reasonably priced private Flu Vaccination service within our pharmacies, performed by our pharmacists, to help protect you from the illness throughout the winter flu season.

We recommend you consider getting a flu jab If you don't qualify for an NHS vaccination but:

• are susceptible to colds and chest infections
• are self employed and unable to afford time off work
• would like to protect yourself from flu during peak season.

Prior to Flu Season commencing, we will further advertise this service both within our pharmacies and online, and will provide a webpage detailing our approach to flu vaccinations for the following winter, including all information you should need to know, our pricing for the service, and how to organise and book a Flu Vaccination if eligible.

Please contact us if you have further questions or queries surrounding this service.

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats we have ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. According to the NHS, in the UK alone, smoking kills over 80,000 people every year and a further 500,000 people are admitted into hospital as a direct result of smoking.

Smoking has been linked to countless conditions from depression, infertility and asthma, to the more serious conditions such as lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. It’s really not surprising that this is the case when you consider how many harmful substances there are in a cigarette. They have thousands of different chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing), and examples of others being acetone (used as nail polish remover), lead and cadmium (a highly toxic metal.)

The truth of the matter is, we all know how bad smoking is for our health, and a majority of smokers will say that they want to quit but giving up can be hard. Especially without the right help and support. That’s where our friendly and professional staff teams can help.

There is now more support than ever before, not just in the form of information, but also products designed to reduce cravings and to fight off any withdrawal symptoms. One of the developments has been the introduction of Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT.) There are a variety of NRT products available:

• Patches
• Gum
• Inhalators
• Mouth Sprays
• Nasal Sprays
• Tablets
• Lozenges

Smoking is addictive because of the nicotine in cigarettes. That is why it is hard to quit. By starting one or even a combination of the above therapies, they will give a smoker a dose of nicotine in their blood. This reduces the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings, whilst they break away from the psychological habit of smoking.

Our staff can advise you on the best way to quit, specifically tailored to you as an individual. Initially, our stop-smoking advisors within our pharmacies will be able to provide you with a free consultation, to determine what the best approach will be to help you quit smoking, for good. We may also offer additional advice and support, or suggest certain routines to further aid in your endeavours to quit.

The benefit of having this support is that we are there 7 days a week whenever you need help, or even just a friendly professional to speak with. It is a proven fact that if you receive support while trying to stop smoking your chance for success is greatly increased.

Joining the service

You can join our stop-smoking service or seek additional support in quitting smoking by simply self-presenting at one of our pharmacy sites. If you'd like further information, or would like to organise to join the service without calling in to one of our branches, don't hesitate to contact us.

We can provide a supervised consumption service, usually in the private consultation room in the pharmacy, for medicines which require this.