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 at our pharmacies. If you've not been diagnosed with high blood pressure and would like to get yours checked, contact or visit one of our branches.
If we find any potential signs of high blood pressure, we will refer you to your GP for further investigation and treatment if appropriate.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 attacked 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. Our Pharmacist can advise you on the best course of treatment and prevention.
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.
The Medication Care and Review (MCR) service, formerly known as CMS, is a serial prescription service. Register with Lightburn Pharmacy to have your regular repeat medication dispensed and ready for you to collect.
A serial prescription is a prescription for medicines you need to treat your long-term condition (your repeat medication).
It looks like a normal prescription but lasts for 24 or 48 weeks.
With a serial prescription, you can get your repeat medicines directly from the pharmacy where you are registered.
You won’t need to see or phone the Doctor to request your medication.
Serial prescriptions last for either 24 or 48 weeks and Lightburn Pharmacy will dispense it in instalments (either every month or every 2 months depending on your GP’s instructions).
The Pharmacy will have your prescription ready for you when you need it, so you don’t have to wait in the pharmacy.
The Pharmacy will keep your serial prescription in the Pharmacy.
Ask at the Pharmacy to be registered and speak to your GP to issue you with a serial prescription rather than a standard repeat prescription, your GP will assess your suitability.
Don’t be running around the houses to get your prescription, no more phoning your GP every month to get your prescriptions, no more waiting to get your regular prescription dispensed. Lightburn Pharmacy will comprehensively manage your serial prescriptions, please contact us to get registered today.
Your Prescription ready when you are.
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.
You can have a free NHS flu Jab at our pharmacy:
• If you are 50 years of age or over before 31 March 2022
• 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
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:
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 computer allows us to keep these records. We are registered with The Information Commissioners Office and comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code of practice on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, please ask to speak to a member of staff or the pharmacist.
We recommend you consider getting a flub jab If you don't qualify for an NHS vaccination but are:
This service is available on a walk in basis without an appointment and there is a charge but please call the pharmacy first.
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.
Going abroad and need to know which vaccinations you require or need advice on precautions?
We provide travel consultations with experienced staff who will assess the impact of any pre-existing medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. Our competitive pricing and easily accessible location makes us your first choice for all your travel needs
Walk in for a free travel health consultation in our designated private consultation rooms today. We look forward to welcoming you and helping you with all your travel healthcare needs.
A pre-travel risk assessment provides a good opportunity to discuss travel-associated risk management with your pharmacist.
You'll need to contact us to arrange this, ideally 6 to 8 weeks before you leave. If your trip is sooner, contact us anyway as we may still be able to help and could provide vital health information.
During the assessment, we will:
Altitude Sickness - the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, and dizziness.
Cholera – Common in Africa, Central America and Asia, cholera is an infection spread by bacteria in contaminated food and water.
Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis and Tetanus - This diphtheria, polio and tetanus vaccine may also be recommended if you're travelling to an area of the world where there is a high risk of contracting these diseases, or poor access to medical care, and you haven't had a booster in the last ten years.
Hepatitis A – Contaminated faecal matter spreads hepatitis A, a disease often caught via infected food and water and common across in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.
Hepatitis B – Unprotected sex is usually responsible for hepatitis A infection, along with sharing needles, visiting dirty tattoo parlours, unhygienic barbers shops and nail salons. It’s common in both undeveloped and developed countries.
Japanese Encephalitis – Spread by mosquitoes, there’s no cure for this disease found across South East Asia, Japan, and tropical regions of Australia. There are also occasional epidemics in China and India.
Malaria – A highly dangerous disease spread by infected mosquitoes, malaria is common in the equatorial tropics and subtropics.
Meningitis; ACWY Vaccination for Hajj or Umrah – A bacterial infection, this disease tends to be commonest in sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s also sometimes found where it’s crowded and where there’s imperfect hygiene, for example universities and army camps.
Rabies – Infected animal and human bites and scratches spread this awful disease, which is particularly common in Thailand, Brazil and India.
Tick-borne Encephalitis – A tick-borne virus found in eastern, northern and central Europe as well as eastern Russia, east Asia, China and Japan.
Typhoid – Bacteria are responsible for this infection and it’s found throughout the world, a risk wherever sanitation and hygiene are poor.
We provide a vaccination service and a range of vaccinations are available, please contact the pharmacy for further details.
We are here to help you make good choices. If you are struggling losing weight, please ask the pharmacist to help you beat the bulge.
The term obese describes a person who is very overweight. There are two ways of checking your weight status. Firstly, Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height. A BMI of > 25 means you are over-weight.
Another measure of excess fat is your waist circumference. Generally, men with a waist circumference of 94cm or more and women with a waist circumference of 80 cm or more are more likely to develop obesity related health problems. These include
Type 2 diabetes, Coronary heart disease, some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer and stroke. If you are worried about diabetes we can give you a diabetic test.
Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems such as depression and low self-esteem. Please let us help you before your weight gets out of control.
We can offer weight management help. Pharmacists are ideally placed to help you manage your weight as they already provide many health services to customers, including stop smoking services, blood pressure and cholesterol measurements and general advice on nutrition and healthy living. Pharmacists also know when a weight problem can be managed in the pharmacy and when there is a medical problem that needs co-operation with the doctor.
Ask us for advice on how to get started.
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 at our pharmacies. If you've not been diagnosed with high blood pressure and would like to get yours checked, contact or visit one of our branches.
If we find any potential signs of high blood pressure, we will refer you to your GP for further investigation and treatment if appropriate.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 attacked 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. Our Pharmacist can advise you on the best course of treatment and prevention.
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.
The Medication Care and Review (MCR) service, formerly known as CMS, is a serial prescription service. Register with Lightburn Pharmacy to have your regular repeat medication dispensed and ready for you to collect.
A serial prescription is a prescription for medicines you need to treat your long-term condition (your repeat medication).
It looks like a normal prescription but lasts for 24 or 48 weeks.
With a serial prescription, you can get your repeat medicines directly from the pharmacy where you are registered.
You won’t need to see or phone the Doctor to request your medication.
Serial prescriptions last for either 24 or 48 weeks and Lightburn Pharmacy will dispense it in instalments (either every month or every 2 months depending on your GP’s instructions).
The Pharmacy will have your prescription ready for you when you need it, so you don’t have to wait in the pharmacy.
The Pharmacy will keep your serial prescription in the Pharmacy.
Ask at the Pharmacy to be registered and speak to your GP to issue you with a serial prescription rather than a standard repeat prescription, your GP will assess your suitability.
Don’t be running around the houses to get your prescription, no more phoning your GP every month to get your prescriptions, no more waiting to get your regular prescription dispensed. Lightburn Pharmacy will comprehensively manage your serial prescriptions, please contact us to get registered today.
Your Prescription ready when you are.
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.
You can have a free NHS flu Jab at our pharmacy:
• If you are 50 years of age or over before 31 March 2022
• 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
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:
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 computer allows us to keep these records. We are registered with The Information Commissioners Office and comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code of practice on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, please ask to speak to a member of staff or the pharmacist.
We recommend you consider getting a flub jab If you don't qualify for an NHS vaccination but are:
This service is available on a walk in basis without an appointment and there is a charge but please call the pharmacy first.
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.
Going abroad and need to know which vaccinations you require or need advice on precautions?
We provide travel consultations with experienced staff who will assess the impact of any pre-existing medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. Our competitive pricing and easily accessible location makes us your first choice for all your travel needs
Walk in for a free travel health consultation in our designated private consultation rooms today. We look forward to welcoming you and helping you with all your travel healthcare needs.
A pre-travel risk assessment provides a good opportunity to discuss travel-associated risk management with your pharmacist.
You'll need to contact us to arrange this, ideally 6 to 8 weeks before you leave. If your trip is sooner, contact us anyway as we may still be able to help and could provide vital health information.
During the assessment, we will:
Altitude Sickness - the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, and dizziness.
Cholera – Common in Africa, Central America and Asia, cholera is an infection spread by bacteria in contaminated food and water.
Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis and Tetanus - This diphtheria, polio and tetanus vaccine may also be recommended if you're travelling to an area of the world where there is a high risk of contracting these diseases, or poor access to medical care, and you haven't had a booster in the last ten years.
Hepatitis A – Contaminated faecal matter spreads hepatitis A, a disease often caught via infected food and water and common across in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.
Hepatitis B – Unprotected sex is usually responsible for hepatitis A infection, along with sharing needles, visiting dirty tattoo parlours, unhygienic barbers shops and nail salons. It’s common in both undeveloped and developed countries.
Japanese Encephalitis – Spread by mosquitoes, there’s no cure for this disease found across South East Asia, Japan, and tropical regions of Australia. There are also occasional epidemics in China and India.
Malaria – A highly dangerous disease spread by infected mosquitoes, malaria is common in the equatorial tropics and subtropics.
Meningitis; ACWY Vaccination for Hajj or Umrah – A bacterial infection, this disease tends to be commonest in sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s also sometimes found where it’s crowded and where there’s imperfect hygiene, for example universities and army camps.
Rabies – Infected animal and human bites and scratches spread this awful disease, which is particularly common in Thailand, Brazil and India.
Tick-borne Encephalitis – A tick-borne virus found in eastern, northern and central Europe as well as eastern Russia, east Asia, China and Japan.
Typhoid – Bacteria are responsible for this infection and it’s found throughout the world, a risk wherever sanitation and hygiene are poor.
We provide a vaccination service and a range of vaccinations are available, please contact the pharmacy for further details.
We are here to help you make good choices. If you are struggling losing weight, please ask the pharmacist to help you beat the bulge.
The term obese describes a person who is very overweight. There are two ways of checking your weight status. Firstly, Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height. A BMI of > 25 means you are over-weight.
Another measure of excess fat is your waist circumference. Generally, men with a waist circumference of 94cm or more and women with a waist circumference of 80 cm or more are more likely to develop obesity related health problems. These include
Type 2 diabetes, Coronary heart disease, some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer and stroke. If you are worried about diabetes we can give you a diabetic test.
Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems such as depression and low self-esteem. Please let us help you before your weight gets out of control.
We can offer weight management help. Pharmacists are ideally placed to help you manage your weight as they already provide many health services to customers, including stop smoking services, blood pressure and cholesterol measurements and general advice on nutrition and healthy living. Pharmacists also know when a weight problem can be managed in the pharmacy and when there is a medical problem that needs co-operation with the doctor.
Ask us for advice on how to get started.