Pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals. They’re an invaluable member of the primary care system these days. For instance, many medicines that used to be available only on prescription are now available at the local pharmacy.

They can advise you about new conditions, or if you have familiar symptoms that you know what treatment you need, they may be able to give it to you without a prescription. Many pharmacists run minor ailment schemes so they can give you medication, that you would otherwise have to go to your doctor and get a prescription for.

Pharmacists also do health checks. They can tell you what your risk of cardiovascular disease is, for instance, by measuring your blood pressure, your cholesterol, checking you for diabetes and so on.

They can give invaluable medical advice about travel and sometimes you can get tablets, for instance antimalarial tablets, that you’d need a private prescription from your doctor anyway without needing to go and see the doctor. They can also offer advice about avoiding infections while you’re away on holiday, or perhaps how to treat them if you do get things wrong with you, things you can take to be prepared.

They can also do treatment checks. They can look at your medications and tell you whether or not side effects you’re getting could be related to one medicine or another. They can tell you whether or not those medicines might interact and if it’s safe for you to take them.

There’s so much that the pharmacist can do these days, so don’t for a moment assume that all they can do is dole out the prescription that your doctor wrote for you.