Boots are doing 'flu jabs'.
Members on another forum altered us - so if you go - make sure they ask you about every item of medicine you are taking, either prescribed or OTC (Over the Counter).
NHS Outsourcing - what next?
Yes, I know Specsavers now do Hearing Aids.
Hi,high street pharmacies have been doing flu jabs for several years and now can do people who qualify for free jabs because of at risk categories.I get mine done at GP (this Saturday infact).I qualify under several categories one of which is compromised immune system (now methotrexate but previously steroids)so well worth checking if eligible.
By the way all pharmacists doing jabs have had to do a training course which includes CPR anď Epi pen injections for anaphylaxis so you can have confidence in the service ☺
I only trust myself - particularly when I am on long term meds.
if you type in your search engine 'flu jabs who pays for them' You will be amazed to see that pharmacies can be paid more than GPs for the jab.
My daughter, who used to work in the pharmacy at Boots , was given proper training before she was let loose on the public.
I think a lot of people find it more convenient to go to their pharmacy for the flu jab, rather than trying to get slotted in at the surgery, especially if you are working.
Having mine this Saturday, at the surgery.
I agree and it takes the pressure of GPs.
But does this mean that they are not going to up their efforts to train more GPs.
The BMC et all are now running a campaign to attract more students to become GPs. The shortage is getting desparate.
It is - but it'll be at least 3 or 4 years before even currently qualified medics finish specialist training. And there aren't enough medics leaving medical school to cover all the shortages in all the specialities - you know the answer to that: take them from other countries. I'd rather have a pharmacy staff member who I can speak to in my own language and be replied to in same. And that is NOT being racist - it is being practical.
I'm U.S. and our pharmacies started giving flu shots along with pneumonia
and shingles and I think whooping cough shots.several years ago. Just another
example of corporate greed....I'd rather go to my doctors....my understanding
is that the pharmacists have to be trained to do the vaccines.....
Hearing Aids
I had a hearing test a while ago at a chain of opticians as I was sent an invitation for a free hearing test. As I hadn't had one for a while, I thought I would go. However, this turned out not to be a good idea and I'll tell you why.
I have otosclerosis and already wear hearing aids. The man who tested my ears stated that "he was not a medical doctor but had been doing the tests for years and was very good at his job"!! Really?
Well, he tested my ears and declared that my hearing was low due to another disease (and not otosclerosis). He stated that I couldn't possibly have otosclerois and pointed to a chart on the wall to try and prove why, that if I did, hearing aids would not work! Well, I already had hearing aids and they were working fine!
My local hospital diagnosed me in 2004 and my ears were properly tested there. After this other 'diagnosis', my GP referred me back to the hospital. They were adamant my original diagnosis with them was correct and wanted to know who told me that I didn't have otosclerosis! He said that these other people are not medically trained and that my diagnosis of otosclerosis is absolutely correct. I could have been sold a hugely expensive pair of hearing aids I didn't need. I got mine free on the NHS. The NHS digital hearing aids are BRILLIANT and this was confirmed by a hearing-impaired GP at the surgery where I worked who said I would not find any better.
I would advise getting your ears tested by Audiology at your local hospital, they ARE medically trained and will give you an accurate medical diagnosis.
Me too Eileen, as I feel sorry for the countries we take the cream of their crop from.
As long as I trust the pharmacist and I would trust Lara with my life. I am happy to see her. Three times when I had GCA and ran into problems, Lara phone the GP and said you cannot prescribe this it is contra-indicated with pred. Lara is Swedish married to a Geordie.
That's a bit worrying as if the name of the chain you were tested by begins with an "S"...They actually have a contract with the NHS for hearing tests. I was amazed when several of the elderly people I work with told me their NHS appt was there.
The one saving grace with 'S; is the majority of their people are trained in Belfast University, well known for good opthamologists etc.
The one I went to did not begin with an 'S' it began with a much earlier letter of the alphabet. My hubby got an offer of a free hearing test from them as he gets his contact lenses from them.
The next time I go to Audiology I will ask them about all this and about the 'S' chain now doing it.
Nightmare!
I had a quick look Rosemary and this is on the website "S are accredited by the NHS to provide hearing services in over half of England. That means, if you qualify for free NHS funded hearing aids, you may not need to go to a hospital anymore. You can get a hearing test with a hearing care professional, two NHS digital hearing aids and full aftercare, free from your local S" So I'm thinking they are taking some of the pressure off hospital audiology in certain regions. In our town the same company have, 5 days a week, an associate specialist opthalmolgist in the shop. Found this out when my husband scratched a flap out of his cornea.
It's really privatisation by the back door - as long as it stops here that's fine but a lot of other things are going the same way. And the private companies' staff do not have to come up to the same standards as the NHS staff do. It's been creeping in for years...
Many thanks for that Karen. I asked my Audiologist a couple of weeks ago if the NHS hearing services would continue in light of hearing on the news that some Trusts would stop providing the service and she said it would continue but didn't make any mention of it being out-sourced.
My worry would be that the staff are not as well trained/medical as they would be if you went to hospital for these services. Hope your hubby got the right treatment for his eye and that it's ok now.
I think Eileen is right, it is privatisation by the back door.
'B'
Privatisation by the back door and we don't even own 'B' anymore.
In 2007, Alliance Boots was bought by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Stefano Pessina, taking the company private, and moving its headquarters to Switzerland, the first ever FTSE 100 company bought by a private equity firm.