This looks like an interesting service that could be handy if you want to avoid long, drawn-out trips to the GP's surgery with kids, or even on your own !
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An innovative pharmacy service launched today by Boots should help to ease pressure on GPs and save the NHS money. The Boots Online Treatments Service allows patients to access selected prescription-only medicines without a trip to the surgery and also provides an online booking service for pharmacist consultations.
The Online Treatments Service, available through Boots’ prescriptions direct and online appointment system could prove to be a welcome support to time-pressured GPs across the country, with recent research amongst GPs1 and consumers2 revealing:
On average, 50% of GP appointments overrun
85% of GPs said they would support patients seeking health-related lifestyle advice – such as eating healthily and stopping smoking – from a trusted and reliable source, such as a pharmacist
Nine out of 10 GPs reported that up to 40% of their time with patients is spent providing health-related lifestyle advice
During working hours, 68% of people are closer to a Boots store than their GP and over half (57%) would be willing to pay more for the convenience of getting their prescription medication directly from an independent prescriber
Commenting on the service, GP Dr Rob Hicks said: “Time pressures are one of the greatest challenges facing GPs today so I welcome innovative ideas such as the Boots Prescription Direct service. A service like this can help patients get the advice and treatment they need safely, responsibly and conveniently whilst freeing up time that GPs can give to patients who actually need to see a GP. It’s important to remember that pharmacists are highly trained and knowledgeable and it’s exciting to see the pharmacy of the future becoming the pharmacy of today.”
Elaine Hartley, Pharmacy Services Manager, Boots, says; “Pharmacies have always been at the heart of the community, playing an integral role in the health of the nation, and this trend shows no sign of abating. At Boots we have always taken a forward-thinking and innovative approach to healthcare, as the launch of these new services demonstrate.”
To further help people manage their health, Boots has also launched a new and improved version of the Boots Health Assessment, an online tool that assesses an individual’s current health whilst providing top tips and advice on how they can improve their health status. From August 2011, after taking the online Health Assessment, people will be able to have a face-to-face consultation with a pharmacist to take a series of more in depth physical health-checks, and create a tailored action plan to help improve their health.
For more information regarding the Boots Online Treatments Service visit www.boots.com/prescriptionsdirect
To take the Boots Health Assessment visit www.boots.com/healthassessment
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What a useful service - sometimes it just seems pointless wasting a dr's time over something minor or if you just need health advice.
ReplyDeleteI've used this service and I found it highly useful! Will def be spreading the word! Anything we can do to ease the workload of GPs will be beneficial to all!
ReplyDelete@hannahmdy