Daily Star

‘Our team are trained to respond to symptoms’

Your local pharmacy can help you with anything from advice on aches and pains to a blood-pressure check

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Reena Barai, 44, has been running her family business, SG Barai Pharmacy in Sutton, for 18 years, and she is always happy to help anyone who comes in for advice about a health issue.

“We see a wide range of illnesses: coughs, colds, eye infections… but also other things that people are worried about, like moles and unusual bowel symptoms,” Reena explains.

“Pharmacist­s are experts in minor illnesses and recognisin­g what we call ‘red flags’ or more serious symptoms. Our family have been in our pharmacy for 43 years, and we’ve built up links with our local GP practices and the hospital. So if someone comes in and I think they really need to go to A&E that day, I can advise them about that.”

“Our team are trained to respond to symptoms,”

Reena adds. “They know how to ask the right questions and refer to GPs if necessary.

“We also spend a lot of time talking to our patients about self care, because often you don’t need to see a doctor and you can just look after yourself by doing simple measures at home – whether that’s drinking lots of fluids, resting or taking paracetamo­l.” Community pharmacies also offer services such as blood pressure checks, and the morning-after pill, which is free in some areas. “Come in and see us – it’s free and you don’t need an appointmen­t,” says Reena. “Most pharmacies have a private consultati­on room, so if you’re worried about discussing something embarrassi­ng, you can always ask to speak to one of the pharmacy team in private.”

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