Starting the new year with a sniffle and a sore throat is unpleasant, but it’s the reality for a lot of us as flu cases in hospitals have jumped up by almost a half in the past week, with NHS 111 answering a record number of calls.
With the holidays out of the way and 2023 putting down roots, the first month of the year is an exciting time to set new, healthier habits that will serve you well in the future. There’s something fresh and invigorating about January, and if you’re planning to take on the beginning of the year without alcohol, you can find a lot of support at your community pharmacy - after all, Dry January isn’t always easy.
The festive season is a time for sharing, caring, and family. It’s also a time for stress, financial worries, and stark work deadlines as everything wraps up for Christmas. Stress puts pressure on your immune system, which makes it easier for you to pick up something nasty as you go about your business. Becoming unwell at Christmas can feel especially unfair, whether it’s a stomach bug, the flu, or something more serious. It’s particularly difficult to know what to do about it - and if your local GP is closed, as many of them will be, you might be tempted to head to A&E. But before you do, there are a few stops you should make first.
The festive season is synonymous with a lot of things - cold noses, warming meals and twinkling lights. Parties, too, dominate the month of December, and before Dry January arrives, you might find yourself inundated with invitations to Christmas drinks, catch-ups and shindigs where your friends and loved ones can catch up before going your separate ways for the christmas break. These celebrations can be a little tricky to navigate if you’re trying to cut down on drinking, or cutting alcohol out entirely. If you’re planning to make 2022 your first sober christmas, here are a few tips to help you through it.
With inflation rates reaching heights last seen in the early eighties, the UK is up against a serious cost-of-living crisis, from energy to food prices, we’re all feeling the economic squeeze, and the pharmacies in the heart of our communities represent a life-line for those who can’t access their GP.
Recent figures show that the UK has dropped to the bottom of the list of countries in Europe when it comes to waiting times for cancer treatment - but an NHS pilot may help patients receive the vital treatment they need sooner with the help of community pharmacy teams.
Recent data from the NHS has revealed that more of us than ever are finding the help we need at our local pharmacy, taking some of the strain off the NHS and the GPs, where it can be difficult to get an appointment.
With the world still putting things back together again following the 2020 pandemic, there are concerns that we may be facing another tough winter for public health. With a ‘twindemic’ of Covid-19 and flu predicted over the next few months, the UK Health Security Agency has put out a warning.
We’ve all been there - we know something is wrong with our body, but it doesn’t seem too bad, so maybe it’ll just go away on its own? Ignoring the symptoms of something more serious can be a disaster - and there’s no need to suffer in silence when your community pharmacy team has been trained to identify most minor ailments and offer advice.
According to a report by NHS Digital, the number of school children who say they are taking drugs and smoking has dropped over the last years - but the survey found that more children have habits related to e-cigaretttes and vaping.
An interactive directory of pharmacies and pharmacy services, hyper-optimised for Google search.
By grouping pharmacies together online, we create a vast network that boosts both individual member pharmacies and the network itself.