For years, we found fulfilment in helping people recover from illness. We also believe that it is important for everyone to stay healthy, get enough sleep, take vitamins regularly and never miss a flu vaccinations their scheduled immunizations.
You can count on us to fulfil our role as guardians of your health. Better lives can start with better health! Take the first step to feeling better and healthier with the help of Pearl Chemist.
Call us at 0116 273 8265 for inquiries or send us a message online.
You can have an NHS Health Check if you're aged 40 to 74 and you haven't had a stroke, or don't already have heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
If this applies to you, you can expect to receive a letter from your GP or local authority inviting you for an NHS Health Check every five years.
The first step to getting healthier is understanding how healthy you are now. It's easy to book a health check now.
If you require an Appliance to be dispensed then our expert pharmacy team can do this for you. As Pearl Chemist is a Dispensing Appliance Contractor the pharmacist will be able to give you advise you on the best use of your Appliance and is always there for any help or support that you may need.
AURs can be carried out by a pharmacist or a specialist nurse in the pharmacy or at the patient's home. Advising the patient on the safe and proper disposal of the appliances that are used or unwanted.
AURs will improve your knowledge and use of any ‘specified appliance‘ by:
Advising the on the safe and proper disposal of the appliances that are used or unwanted.
Our Pearl Chemist team are here to help and support you all the time. Either telephone the pharmacy to speak to our expert team or come in to discuss the service you need. From non-prescription medicines to stop smoking consultations, we have a wide range of services for you. Appointment booking for consultations not required
A pharmacist is another health expert you can turn to for asthma advice and support. And the great thing is you 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, it's easy to walk into any local pharmacy and ask to see the pharmacist.
On a practical level, this is useful because:
• you don't need an appointment
• our pharmacy are open outside GP surgery hours
• our pharmacy have a private consultation room.
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.
Check your blood pressure
The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.
All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.
You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:
You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.
Blood glucose tests, which can be conducted in our pharmacy through a simple blood test, measure the amount of glucose in your blood. Glucose is a simple sugar that provides energy for the body.
The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach).
When food is digested and enters your bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it's broken down to produce energy.
However, if you have diabetes, your body is unable to break down glucose into energy. This is because there's either not enough insulin to move the glucose, or the insulin produced doesn't work properly.
Although there are no lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is often linked to being overweight.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.
While AIDS can't be transmitted from one person to another, the HIV virus can.
There's currently no cure for HIV, but there are very effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.
With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV won't develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan.
Seek medical advice as soon as possible if you think you might have been exposed to HIV.
You can get tested in a number of places, including at your GP surgery, sexual health clinics, and clinics run by charities and our pharmacy.
The only way to find out if you have HIV is to have an HIV test. This involves testing a sample of your blood or saliva for signs of the infection.
It's important to be aware that:
Both positive and negative HIV tests may need to be repeated 1 to 3 months after potential exposure to HIV infection (this is known as the window period), but you shouldn't wait this long to seek help:
If your first test suggests you have HIV, a further blood test will need to be carried out to confirm the result.
If this is positive, you'll be referred to a specialist HIV clinic for some more tests and a discussion about your treatment options.
Body composition is a simple test that measures your body mass index, body fat, skeletal muscle percentages and waist circumference.
A body composition test is one way to determine if your weight is healthy for your height since being overweight can strain your heart and lead to serious health problems.
Who is body composition testing recommended for?
A body composition test is recommended for everyone to for better insight into their health.
Body composition testing is available at our Pharmacy for patients 18 and over.
We recommend that all adults should get a cholesterol check – no matter what your age or how healthy you feel.
Your cholesterol levels depend on your genes as well as your lifestyle, so the only way to know your cholesterol numbers is to get a check.
You can have your cholesterol tested in our pharmacy using a simple blood test. This is often a finger prick test, it’s quick, you only feel a small pinch, and the results can be checked there and then. Or, you might have a small blood sample taken from your arm using a needle and syringe, you will get the result immediately.
The emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill) – there are two types, Levonelle or ellaOne. You can get both Levonelle and ellaOne free of charge from:
ellaOne can be taken within 120 hours (five days) of having unprotected sex, but it's most effective if taken as soon as possible after having unprotected sex. Prices vary, but it's likely to cost around £35. ellaOne can be sold to under 16s without a prescription.
Erection problems (impotence) are very common, particularly in men over 40. It's usually nothing to worry about, but you should see a GP if it keeps happening.
Most men occasionally fail to get or keep an erection. Causes of erection problems can be stress, tiredness, anxiety or drinking too much alcohol, and it's nothing to worry about.
If it happens more often, it may be caused by physical or emotional problems.
Medicine such as sildenafil is often used by doctors to treat erectile dysfunction. It is also available from our pharmacy. You no longer need a prescription to get sildenafil. You can have a private consultation with our pharmacist to make sure it's safe for you to take it.
Losing your hair isn't usually anything to be worried about, but it can be upsetting. Treatment may help with some types of hair loss.
Causes of hair loss
It's normal to lose hair. We can lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, often without noticing.
Hair loss isn't usually anything to be worried about, but occasionally it can be a sign of a medical condition.
Some types of hair loss are permanent, like male and female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss usually runs in the family.
Other types of hair loss may be temporary. They can be caused by:
You may also benefit from joining a support group, or speaking to our professional.
If you’re between 40 and 74 and live in the UK, you should have a health check which we can do at our pharmacy for a nominal charge
The health check should take around 30 minutes. A healthcare professional, will ask you a series of simple questions about your lifestyle and family history. The check is nothing to worry about and you won’t be asked any embarrassing questions or need to remove clothing.
You can also expect:
A blood pressure test
Your weight and height measured
A finger prick blood test for your blood sugar levels
AV check-this is a check of your heart using a mobile eeg monitor
The Health Check focuses on
Heart disease
Diabetes
Strokes
Kidney disease
If you are over 65, you will also be told the signs of dementia to look out for
After your blood pressure test, sugar level test and BMI results, at our Pharmacy,the Pharmacist will be happy to offer lifestyle advice or suggest you visit your GP, if needed. They might offer ideas on how to:
Improve your diet
Increase your levels or frequency of physical exercise
Complete the Cycle is the first national recycling and recovery scheme for respiratory inhalers. We want to reduce waste and greenhouse gases by moving towards a more environmentally sustainable treatment of respiratory disease.
Why recycling and recovering inhalers is important
New research shows that 58% of people in the UK are putting their used inhalers into their home waste bin, where it can end up at landfill or being incinerated. Whilst 33% of people surveyed said that they use a kerbside recycling service, councils can’t typically recycle the plastics and gases contained in inhalers. Again, the inhaler may go to landfill or incineration.
Complete the Cycle is an easy and convenient way to recycle your inhalers. Our scheme helps to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, moving towards a more environmentally sustainable treatment of respiratory disease.
Complete the Cycle gives you an easy way to make a difference to the environment and allows you to breathe new life into your old inhalers.
How to get involved
Simply hand in your empty, out of date or unused inhaler to our pharmacy advisor.
The inhalers are collected as part of routine deliveries, so no extra miles are travelled, and then taken to be sorted for recycling or recovery. Recovery means using the non-recyclable parts of the inhaler to generate energy.
If you are overweight and are serious about losing weight, the Lipotrim Pharmacy Programme could help you reach your goal, knowing you have a highly trained healthcare professional on hand for information, advice and encouragement.
This programme is pharmacy-based and run by the pharmacist. It is not available for over the counter sale or mail order.
The programme involves using Lipotrim Total Food Replacement formulas in place of your regular meals and weekly visits to your pharmacy to monitor your progress.
Each visit, the pharmacy will measure your weight, carry out a urine test (where possible) to measure ketones to check your compliance and adequacy of your fluid intake and give you the support and encouragement you need to stick to the programme. You will also be using the pharmacy visits to pick up your weekly supply of Lipotrim foods.
Once you reach your desired weight or are ready to stop, the pharmacy will help you switch back to eating ordinary food and introduce you to Lipotrim Maintenance products to help you maintain your new weight.
This is an opportunity for our pharmacist to discuss and review the medicines you are taking to ensure you are using them correctly and getting the maximum benefit. We will explain clearly and simply, without any medical jargon, what they are for and the conditions they treat and 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:
Our pharmacist may be able to conduct an MUR over the telephone or for eligible patient
It is important that you take the right dose of your prescribed medicines at the right time each day to get the most from your medicines to control your condition(s) as much as possible. This can sometimes be difficult if you take more than one medicine. One way in which this can be made easier is for your medicines to be supplied in a Monitored Dosage System, which provides you with a separate compartment for each dosage time of the day.
A monitored dosage system (MDS) is a medication storage device designed to simplify the administration of solid oral dose medication, especially for those on multiple medications. It aims to address the issues of difficulty accessing medication due to sight impairment or other disability and/or forgetfulness.
MDS devices are usually a variation on the design of a box or a blister pack, divided into days of the week with several compartments per day to allow for the different timing of doses such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime.
Our Pharmacist can help identify which patients this type of system would be suitable for.
MDS may be suitable for patients in the following circumstances:
Ask a member of our pharmacy team about whether this service would benefit you or whether there is another course of action, which may be of more help.
Pearl Chemist has multilingual staff! We believe that thorough communication is important when it comes to your health care needs, medications and the medical supplies prescribed to you by your physician.
When possible, we provide the services of our multilingual staff to help non-English speaking patients or customers.
Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus that can cause severe illness and death among at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu. It won't stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you'll be flu-free, but if you do get flu after vaccination it's likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.
There is also evidence to suggest that the flu vaccine can reduce your risk of having a stroke.
Over time, protection from the injected flu vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains often change. So new flu vaccines are produced each year, which is why people advised to have the flu vaccine need it every year too.
The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of October to end of November, but don't worry if you've missed it, you can have the vaccine later in winter. Ask our pharmacist.
We are able to provide emergency prescription medication prescribed by 111 as part of our commitment to ensure patients do not run out of their essential medications.
When you are prescribed a new medicine by your doctor our pharmacists can offer support and advice to ensure you take the new medication as prescribed without suffering any unwanted side effects or 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:
The NMS can help:
How can I delay my period?
There's no guaranteed way to delay your period, but it may be possible if you take the combined contraceptive pill.
Taking 2 packets of the combined pill back-to-back
If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.
How you do this will depend on which pill you take.
Examples are:
• monophasic 21-day pills, such as Microgynon and Cilest – you take a combined pill for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, when you have a bleed (period). To delay your period, start a new packet of pills straight after you finish the last pill and miss out the 7-day break.
• everyday (ED) pills, such as Microgynon ED and Lorynon ED – you take a combined pill every day. The first 21 pills are active pills and the next 7 pills are inactive or dummy pills, when you have your period. To delay your period, miss out and throw away the dummy pills, and start the active pills in a new packet straight away.
• phasic 21-day pills, such as Binovium, Qlaira and Logynon – the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you're in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception.
Ask your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP for more information.
Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.
If you're not sure which pill you're on or which pills in the packet to miss out, speak to our pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP.
Avoid taking more than 2 packs without a break, unless your GP says you can.
There's a risk you could experience side effects, such as:
• feeling sick
• being sick
• diarrhoea
• unexpected vaginal bleeding
Progestogen-only contraceptive pill
If you're taking a progestogen-only contraceptive pill, you cannot delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.
But you may be able to switch to the combined contraceptive pill or take another medication to delay your period.
If you're not sure which type of pill you're taking, speak to our pharmacist.
If you do not take a contraceptive pill
See your GP for advice if you want to delay your period and you're not taking the combined contraceptive pill.
After consultation our pharmacists are able to prescribe medication called norethisterone to delay your period, you will be advised you when to take norethisterone and for how long.
You'll usually be prescribed 3 norethisterone tablets a day, starting 3 to 4 days before you expect your period to begin.
Your period should arrive 2 to 3 days after you stop taking the medication.
But norethisterone does not act as a contraceptive when used in this way, so you could still get pregnant.
You'll need to use another type of contraceptive, such as a condom.
And norethisterone may not be suitable if you have a history of blood clots.
How well it works in delaying periods also varies between women.
Some women taking norethisterone have reported side effects, such as:
• breast tenderness
• nausea
• headache
• disturbances in mood and sex drive
Switching to, or starting, the combined contraceptive pill
If you currently use another type of contraception, switching to the combined contraceptive pill will allow you to delay your period.
You may also be able to start taking the combined pill if you do not already use contraception.
But you may need to start taking this pill several weeks before the time when you want to delay your period, and it's not suitable for everyone.
If you're switching to or starting the combined contraceptive pill, you might need to use additional contraception during the first few days of taking it.
Ask our pharmacist for more information and advice.
Our pharmacists are expert in medicines and can help you with minor health concerns.
As qualified healthcare professionals, we can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.
If symptoms suggest it's something more serious, pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need. For example they will tell you if you need to see a GP.
Our pharmacists train for 5 years in the use of medicines. Also trained in managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice.
Our pharmacy is open until late and on Saturday.
You don't need an appointment – you can just walk in.
We have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.
You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.
Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period, from as early as 8 days after conception.
You can do a pregnancy test in our pharmacy on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning.
This service is confidential.
Our Prescription Collection Service saves you time and allow us to prepare your medication in advance of your collection. We can also home deliver locally.
To register for the Prescription Collection Service please call the pharmacy on 01162738265 and we can collect your NHS Prescription automatically from your GPs surgery.
The Public Health Service (PHS) is a core pharmacy service and currently consists of 3 elements:
Learn from the specialists who have been supporting Healthy Lifestyle from the beginning.
At the very centre of HLP is the use of the skills, passion and commitment of the whole pharmacy team ensuring that service delivery benefits from strength in depth and an ethos that proactively makes every contact count.
We truly believe in the power of HLPs to improve the public's health. It is the right thing to do for many reasons and now is the time to take action and build on HLP for a healthier future for you; we can support you at every step.
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 come in!
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 of the horrible withdrawal symptoms. One of the developments has been the introduction of Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT.) There are a variety of NRT products available:
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 kick your smoking habit. By coming in to our store our trained pharmacist will provide you with a free consultation, asking you questions such as how many cigarettes you smoke in a day and what triggers the need for a cigarette etc. By determining your ‘level of nicotine addiction’ the pharmacist will then be able to offer their advice on what they think would work best for you.
The pharmacist may even offer advice in other forms, for example, letting you know about any local support groups, advising you to take up a hobby or even suggesting a routine to start you off.
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.
We can provide a supervised consumption service, usually in the private consultation room in the pharmacy.
Sore throats are very common and usually nothing to worry about. They normally get better by themselves within a week.In our pharmacy we can do a test for a sore throat and consult for water infection and give antibiotics if appropriate-saving you an appointment with the GP.
How to treat a sore throat yourself
To help soothe a sore throat and shorten how long it lasts you can:
• gargle with warm salty water (children shouldn't try this)
• drink plenty of water – but avoid hot drinks
• eat cool or soft foods
• avoid smoking or smoky places
• suck ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets – but don't give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking
• rest
To help relieve the pain and discomfort of a sore throat you can:
• use paracetamol or ibuprofen
• use medicated lozenges or anaesthetic sprays (although there's little proof they help)
You can buy them from our pharmacy without a prescription.
Going abroad on Holiday and need to know which vaccinations you require?
Our pre-travel consultations are with experienced staff who will assess the impact of any pre-existing medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. Our competitive pricing and easily accessible high street location make us your first choice for all your travel needs.
Pearl Chemist offers a wide range of services at competitive prices
Our friendly team comprises of healthcare experts including pharmacists
We are open long hours and on Saturday
Walk in for a free health consultation in our designated private consultation rooms today. We look forward to welcoming you and helping you will all your healthcare needs.
You can have an NHS Health Check if you're aged 40 to 74 and you haven't had a stroke, or don't already have heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
If this applies to you, you can expect to receive a letter from your GP or local authority inviting you for an NHS Health Check every five years.
The first step to getting healthier is understanding how healthy you are now. It's easy to book a health check now.
If you require an Appliance to be dispensed then our expert pharmacy team can do this for you. As Pearl Chemist is a Dispensing Appliance Contractor the pharmacist will be able to give you advise you on the best use of your Appliance and is always there for any help or support that you may need.
AURs can be carried out by a pharmacist or a specialist nurse in the pharmacy or at the patient's home. Advising the patient on the safe and proper disposal of the appliances that are used or unwanted.
AURs will improve your knowledge and use of any ‘specified appliance‘ by:
Advising the on the safe and proper disposal of the appliances that are used or unwanted.
Our Pearl Chemist team are here to help and support you all the time. Either telephone the pharmacy to speak to our expert team or come in to discuss the service you need. From non-prescription medicines to stop smoking consultations, we have a wide range of services for you. Appointment booking for consultations not required
A pharmacist is another health expert you can turn to for asthma advice and support. And the great thing is you 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, it's easy to walk into any local pharmacy and ask to see the pharmacist.
On a practical level, this is useful because:
• you don't need an appointment
• our pharmacy are open outside GP surgery hours
• our pharmacy have a private consultation room.
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.
Check your blood pressure
The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.
All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.
You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:
You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.
Blood glucose tests, which can be conducted in our pharmacy through a simple blood test, measure the amount of glucose in your blood. Glucose is a simple sugar that provides energy for the body.
The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach).
When food is digested and enters your bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it's broken down to produce energy.
However, if you have diabetes, your body is unable to break down glucose into energy. This is because there's either not enough insulin to move the glucose, or the insulin produced doesn't work properly.
Although there are no lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is often linked to being overweight.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.
While AIDS can't be transmitted from one person to another, the HIV virus can.
There's currently no cure for HIV, but there are very effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.
With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV won't develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan.
Seek medical advice as soon as possible if you think you might have been exposed to HIV.
You can get tested in a number of places, including at your GP surgery, sexual health clinics, and clinics run by charities and our pharmacy.
The only way to find out if you have HIV is to have an HIV test. This involves testing a sample of your blood or saliva for signs of the infection.
It's important to be aware that:
Both positive and negative HIV tests may need to be repeated 1 to 3 months after potential exposure to HIV infection (this is known as the window period), but you shouldn't wait this long to seek help:
If your first test suggests you have HIV, a further blood test will need to be carried out to confirm the result.
If this is positive, you'll be referred to a specialist HIV clinic for some more tests and a discussion about your treatment options.
Body composition is a simple test that measures your body mass index, body fat, skeletal muscle percentages and waist circumference.
A body composition test is one way to determine if your weight is healthy for your height since being overweight can strain your heart and lead to serious health problems.
Who is body composition testing recommended for?
A body composition test is recommended for everyone to for better insight into their health.
Body composition testing is available at our Pharmacy for patients 18 and over.
We recommend that all adults should get a cholesterol check – no matter what your age or how healthy you feel.
Your cholesterol levels depend on your genes as well as your lifestyle, so the only way to know your cholesterol numbers is to get a check.
You can have your cholesterol tested in our pharmacy using a simple blood test. This is often a finger prick test, it’s quick, you only feel a small pinch, and the results can be checked there and then. Or, you might have a small blood sample taken from your arm using a needle and syringe, you will get the result immediately.
The emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill) – there are two types, Levonelle or ellaOne. You can get both Levonelle and ellaOne free of charge from:
ellaOne can be taken within 120 hours (five days) of having unprotected sex, but it's most effective if taken as soon as possible after having unprotected sex. Prices vary, but it's likely to cost around £35. ellaOne can be sold to under 16s without a prescription.
Erection problems (impotence) are very common, particularly in men over 40. It's usually nothing to worry about, but you should see a GP if it keeps happening.
Most men occasionally fail to get or keep an erection. Causes of erection problems can be stress, tiredness, anxiety or drinking too much alcohol, and it's nothing to worry about.
If it happens more often, it may be caused by physical or emotional problems.
Medicine such as sildenafil is often used by doctors to treat erectile dysfunction. It is also available from our pharmacy. You no longer need a prescription to get sildenafil. You can have a private consultation with our pharmacist to make sure it's safe for you to take it.
Losing your hair isn't usually anything to be worried about, but it can be upsetting. Treatment may help with some types of hair loss.
Causes of hair loss
It's normal to lose hair. We can lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, often without noticing.
Hair loss isn't usually anything to be worried about, but occasionally it can be a sign of a medical condition.
Some types of hair loss are permanent, like male and female pattern baldness. This type of hair loss usually runs in the family.
Other types of hair loss may be temporary. They can be caused by:
You may also benefit from joining a support group, or speaking to our professional.
If you’re between 40 and 74 and live in the UK, you should have a health check which we can do at our pharmacy for a nominal charge
The health check should take around 30 minutes. A healthcare professional, will ask you a series of simple questions about your lifestyle and family history. The check is nothing to worry about and you won’t be asked any embarrassing questions or need to remove clothing.
You can also expect:
A blood pressure test
Your weight and height measured
A finger prick blood test for your blood sugar levels
AV check-this is a check of your heart using a mobile eeg monitor
The Health Check focuses on
Heart disease
Diabetes
Strokes
Kidney disease
If you are over 65, you will also be told the signs of dementia to look out for
After your blood pressure test, sugar level test and BMI results, at our Pharmacy,the Pharmacist will be happy to offer lifestyle advice or suggest you visit your GP, if needed. They might offer ideas on how to:
Improve your diet
Increase your levels or frequency of physical exercise
Complete the Cycle is the first national recycling and recovery scheme for respiratory inhalers. We want to reduce waste and greenhouse gases by moving towards a more environmentally sustainable treatment of respiratory disease.
Why recycling and recovering inhalers is important
New research shows that 58% of people in the UK are putting their used inhalers into their home waste bin, where it can end up at landfill or being incinerated. Whilst 33% of people surveyed said that they use a kerbside recycling service, councils can’t typically recycle the plastics and gases contained in inhalers. Again, the inhaler may go to landfill or incineration.
Complete the Cycle is an easy and convenient way to recycle your inhalers. Our scheme helps to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, moving towards a more environmentally sustainable treatment of respiratory disease.
Complete the Cycle gives you an easy way to make a difference to the environment and allows you to breathe new life into your old inhalers.
How to get involved
Simply hand in your empty, out of date or unused inhaler to our pharmacy advisor.
The inhalers are collected as part of routine deliveries, so no extra miles are travelled, and then taken to be sorted for recycling or recovery. Recovery means using the non-recyclable parts of the inhaler to generate energy.
If you are overweight and are serious about losing weight, the Lipotrim Pharmacy Programme could help you reach your goal, knowing you have a highly trained healthcare professional on hand for information, advice and encouragement.
This programme is pharmacy-based and run by the pharmacist. It is not available for over the counter sale or mail order.
The programme involves using Lipotrim Total Food Replacement formulas in place of your regular meals and weekly visits to your pharmacy to monitor your progress.
Each visit, the pharmacy will measure your weight, carry out a urine test (where possible) to measure ketones to check your compliance and adequacy of your fluid intake and give you the support and encouragement you need to stick to the programme. You will also be using the pharmacy visits to pick up your weekly supply of Lipotrim foods.
Once you reach your desired weight or are ready to stop, the pharmacy will help you switch back to eating ordinary food and introduce you to Lipotrim Maintenance products to help you maintain your new weight.
This is an opportunity for our pharmacist to discuss and review the medicines you are taking to ensure you are using them correctly and getting the maximum benefit. We will explain clearly and simply, without any medical jargon, what they are for and the conditions they treat and 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:
Our pharmacist may be able to conduct an MUR over the telephone or for eligible patient
It is important that you take the right dose of your prescribed medicines at the right time each day to get the most from your medicines to control your condition(s) as much as possible. This can sometimes be difficult if you take more than one medicine. One way in which this can be made easier is for your medicines to be supplied in a Monitored Dosage System, which provides you with a separate compartment for each dosage time of the day.
A monitored dosage system (MDS) is a medication storage device designed to simplify the administration of solid oral dose medication, especially for those on multiple medications. It aims to address the issues of difficulty accessing medication due to sight impairment or other disability and/or forgetfulness.
MDS devices are usually a variation on the design of a box or a blister pack, divided into days of the week with several compartments per day to allow for the different timing of doses such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime.
Our Pharmacist can help identify which patients this type of system would be suitable for.
MDS may be suitable for patients in the following circumstances:
Ask a member of our pharmacy team about whether this service would benefit you or whether there is another course of action, which may be of more help.
Pearl Chemist has multilingual staff! We believe that thorough communication is important when it comes to your health care needs, medications and the medical supplies prescribed to you by your physician.
When possible, we provide the services of our multilingual staff to help non-English speaking patients or customers.
Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus that can cause severe illness and death among at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu. It won't stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you'll be flu-free, but if you do get flu after vaccination it's likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.
There is also evidence to suggest that the flu vaccine can reduce your risk of having a stroke.
Over time, protection from the injected flu vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains often change. So new flu vaccines are produced each year, which is why people advised to have the flu vaccine need it every year too.
The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of October to end of November, but don't worry if you've missed it, you can have the vaccine later in winter. Ask our pharmacist.
We are able to provide emergency prescription medication prescribed by 111 as part of our commitment to ensure patients do not run out of their essential medications.
When you are prescribed a new medicine by your doctor our pharmacists can offer support and advice to ensure you take the new medication as prescribed without suffering any unwanted side effects or 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:
The NMS can help:
How can I delay my period?
There's no guaranteed way to delay your period, but it may be possible if you take the combined contraceptive pill.
Taking 2 packets of the combined pill back-to-back
If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.
How you do this will depend on which pill you take.
Examples are:
• monophasic 21-day pills, such as Microgynon and Cilest – you take a combined pill for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, when you have a bleed (period). To delay your period, start a new packet of pills straight after you finish the last pill and miss out the 7-day break.
• everyday (ED) pills, such as Microgynon ED and Lorynon ED – you take a combined pill every day. The first 21 pills are active pills and the next 7 pills are inactive or dummy pills, when you have your period. To delay your period, miss out and throw away the dummy pills, and start the active pills in a new packet straight away.
• phasic 21-day pills, such as Binovium, Qlaira and Logynon – the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you're in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception.
Ask your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP for more information.
Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.
If you're not sure which pill you're on or which pills in the packet to miss out, speak to our pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP.
Avoid taking more than 2 packs without a break, unless your GP says you can.
There's a risk you could experience side effects, such as:
• feeling sick
• being sick
• diarrhoea
• unexpected vaginal bleeding
Progestogen-only contraceptive pill
If you're taking a progestogen-only contraceptive pill, you cannot delay your period by taking 2 packets back-to-back.
But you may be able to switch to the combined contraceptive pill or take another medication to delay your period.
If you're not sure which type of pill you're taking, speak to our pharmacist.
If you do not take a contraceptive pill
See your GP for advice if you want to delay your period and you're not taking the combined contraceptive pill.
After consultation our pharmacists are able to prescribe medication called norethisterone to delay your period, you will be advised you when to take norethisterone and for how long.
You'll usually be prescribed 3 norethisterone tablets a day, starting 3 to 4 days before you expect your period to begin.
Your period should arrive 2 to 3 days after you stop taking the medication.
But norethisterone does not act as a contraceptive when used in this way, so you could still get pregnant.
You'll need to use another type of contraceptive, such as a condom.
And norethisterone may not be suitable if you have a history of blood clots.
How well it works in delaying periods also varies between women.
Some women taking norethisterone have reported side effects, such as:
• breast tenderness
• nausea
• headache
• disturbances in mood and sex drive
Switching to, or starting, the combined contraceptive pill
If you currently use another type of contraception, switching to the combined contraceptive pill will allow you to delay your period.
You may also be able to start taking the combined pill if you do not already use contraception.
But you may need to start taking this pill several weeks before the time when you want to delay your period, and it's not suitable for everyone.
If you're switching to or starting the combined contraceptive pill, you might need to use additional contraception during the first few days of taking it.
Ask our pharmacist for more information and advice.
Our pharmacists are expert in medicines and can help you with minor health concerns.
As qualified healthcare professionals, we can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.
If symptoms suggest it's something more serious, pharmacists have the right training to make sure you get the help you need. For example they will tell you if you need to see a GP.
Our pharmacists train for 5 years in the use of medicines. Also trained in managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice.
Our pharmacy is open until late and on Saturday.
You don't need an appointment – you can just walk in.
We have a private consultation room where you can discuss issues with pharmacy staff without being overheard.
You can carry out most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don't know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.
Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before you miss a period, from as early as 8 days after conception.
You can do a pregnancy test in our pharmacy on a sample of urine collected at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be in the morning.
This service is confidential.
Our Prescription Collection Service saves you time and allow us to prepare your medication in advance of your collection. We can also home deliver locally.
To register for the Prescription Collection Service please call the pharmacy on 01162738265 and we can collect your NHS Prescription automatically from your GPs surgery.
The Public Health Service (PHS) is a core pharmacy service and currently consists of 3 elements:
Learn from the specialists who have been supporting Healthy Lifestyle from the beginning.
At the very centre of HLP is the use of the skills, passion and commitment of the whole pharmacy team ensuring that service delivery benefits from strength in depth and an ethos that proactively makes every contact count.
We truly believe in the power of HLPs to improve the public's health. It is the right thing to do for many reasons and now is the time to take action and build on HLP for a healthier future for you; we can support you at every step.
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 come in!
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 of the horrible withdrawal symptoms. One of the developments has been the introduction of Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT.) There are a variety of NRT products available:
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 kick your smoking habit. By coming in to our store our trained pharmacist will provide you with a free consultation, asking you questions such as how many cigarettes you smoke in a day and what triggers the need for a cigarette etc. By determining your ‘level of nicotine addiction’ the pharmacist will then be able to offer their advice on what they think would work best for you.
The pharmacist may even offer advice in other forms, for example, letting you know about any local support groups, advising you to take up a hobby or even suggesting a routine to start you off.
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.
We can provide a supervised consumption service, usually in the private consultation room in the pharmacy.
Sore throats are very common and usually nothing to worry about. They normally get better by themselves within a week.In our pharmacy we can do a test for a sore throat and consult for water infection and give antibiotics if appropriate-saving you an appointment with the GP.
How to treat a sore throat yourself
To help soothe a sore throat and shorten how long it lasts you can:
• gargle with warm salty water (children shouldn't try this)
• drink plenty of water – but avoid hot drinks
• eat cool or soft foods
• avoid smoking or smoky places
• suck ice cubes, ice lollies or hard sweets – but don't give young children anything small and hard to suck because of the risk of choking
• rest
To help relieve the pain and discomfort of a sore throat you can:
• use paracetamol or ibuprofen
• use medicated lozenges or anaesthetic sprays (although there's little proof they help)
You can buy them from our pharmacy without a prescription.
Going abroad on Holiday and need to know which vaccinations you require?
Our pre-travel consultations are with experienced staff who will assess the impact of any pre-existing medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. Our competitive pricing and easily accessible high street location make us your first choice for all your travel needs.
Pearl Chemist offers a wide range of services at competitive prices
Our friendly team comprises of healthcare experts including pharmacists
We are open long hours and on Saturday
Walk in for a free health consultation in our designated private consultation rooms today. We look forward to welcoming you and helping you will all your healthcare needs.