Hodgson Pharmacy

The Flu Vaccination Service is the provision of a flu vaccine, administered by our specially trained Pharmacist, to help prevent you catching flu. The Flu Vaccination Service is suitable for most adults. If you are interested in receiving the service, our Pharmacist will take you through a short series of questions to ensure that it is suitable before giving the vaccination. Lifelong immunity to the influenza virus is virtually impossible to achieve and therefore an annual vaccination is required to provide protection from the disease.

If you have recently had sex without using contraception, or you think that the contraception you did use might have failed, you may want to find out more about emergency contraception. If you act quickly (within 72 hours) emergency contraception can usually stop you getting pregnant. Our Pharmacist will just need to ask you some brief questions to check your suitability before you receive your emergency contraception and to check that you have got all the support you need. We'll also explain your next steps. (Do not worry, this consultation is free and confidential.)

We offer discreet and fast pregnancy testing services in a private consultation room were you can discuss your results with our pharmacist. Simple, bring a sample of urine preferable in the morning to our pharmacy in a specimen container. The test usually takes 10 minutes so you can either wait or call back for the results. You will be given a report with your results filled in by the pharmacist that you can take to your doctor

We provide a service tailored to the needs of each Care Home, by offering advice and support to the residents and staff of care homes, including delivery of medicines. We will advise on the proper and effective ordering of medicines and appliances as well as their safe storage, administration and proper record keeping. We provide a dispensing service to suit the needs of the Care Home, whether that is dispensing into standard containers or into Monitored Dosage Systems (MDS).

People receiving palliative care will often be prescribed medication which is required immediately. We stock a range of specialist medicines used in palliative care so if you have a prescription for one of these medicines you can bring it to our pharmacy and we will be able to dispense it for you, without having to wait for it to be ordered and delivered. As well as being able to supply you with your medicines, our pharmacist will be able to offer advice and information on the medicines you receive.

If you are busy and don’t have time to arrange and collect prescriptions from your GP, or you have just forgotten to order your prescription and don’t have time to wait, we offer a Contraception Service which allows women to obtain oral contraceptives directly from our pharmacist. You will be asked a short series of questions by our pharmacist, in a private consultation area, to determine that you are suitable for the service. If suitable, the pharmacist can then supply you with a three month supply of your regular contraceptive pill.

If you are travelling abroad then you may need to be vaccinated against infectious diseases. Our Travel Vaccination Service can help you. Tell us about your itinerary - where you are going, what type of accommodation you will be staying in and how long you will be there - and we’ll do the rest. We’ll tell you which vaccinations are recommended for your trip, when you need to have each one and then make your bespoke appointment schedule for you to receive your vaccinations.

If you are prescribed the same medicines regularly you may be able to benefit from the free Repeat Dispensing Scheme. This allows you to get your repeat prescriptions directly from our pharmacy without having to reorder them from your GP. If you are eligible and sign up for this service we will look after your repeat prescriptions. Before you run out of your medicine(s) let us know and we will dispense your prescription, ready for you to collect.

If you regularly receive regular repeat prescriptions from your GP we can help you to make sure that you don’t ever run out of your medicines. We will order your repeat prescription on your behalf in time for us to dispense it before you run out of your medication. All you need to do is call into our pharmacy to collect your medicines when you need another supply.

If you regularly use appliances such as incontinence or stoma products then our pharmacist can provide you with an Appliance Use Review, free of charge. During the review they will help you to improve your knowledge and use of your products, identify any poor or ineffective use and advise you about safe storage and disposal.

The Minor Aliments Service (MAS) is a scheme available in Scotland, which allows you to use your pharmacy to get advice and treatments for common illnesses such as coughs, colds, pains and hay fever free on the NHS. Our Pharmacist can provide you with advice on treating these common conditions and, if necessary, prescribe over the counter medicines free of charge. In addition, if our Pharmacist feels it is appropriate then they will refer you to a GP or another healthcare professional.

The New Medicine Service (NMS) is a free service, funded by the NHS, provided by your Pharmacist to help you to get the most out of your new medicine. The service is for people who have received their first prescription for a medicine to treat any of the following conditions, Asthma, Lung conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, Type 2 diabetes, High blood pressure, Conditions where you take a medicine to control the way your blood clots.

Many people in the UK suffer from symptoms of allergies and intolerances such as runny nose, itchy eyes, rashes and stomach discomfort throughout the year. Often the trigger of the allergy or intolerance is unknown. Our Allergy Screening Service allows you to understand if you have a food intolerance or allergy and if so, identify what is triggering your symptoms. We can then help to find ways in which you can manage the symptoms and signpost you to further guidance and support.

Over a third of those people with high blood pressure are currently not being treated – thereby putting their health at risk. High blood pressure rarely makes people feel ill. In a tiny number of people, it can cause headaches but only if blood pressure is very high. However, the only reliable method of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have it measured.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood which is produced naturally in the body. Cholesterol levels can be raised through a number of causes including; an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking and some long term conditions. Having high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of serious health conditions such as heart attack, stroke or heart disease. We can measure your cholesterol level for you which will give you an indication of your risk of developing problems in the future. We will give you advice on how you can reduce your cholesterol level if required or refer you to your GP if necessary.

Our Diabetes Risk Awareness Service can help you to understand whether you are potentially at risk of developing diabetes. You can therefore take action to prevent this happening. Most health experts agree that in recent years more and more people have developed the condition known as diabetes, putting their health at some risk. It is also estimated that there are up to half a million more people in the UK who have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. This is because symptoms may develop over period of time and the connection with diabetes may not be made

People undertaking drug treatment programmes may be required to take their medication whilst being supervised in the pharmacy. We offer a discreet and confidential service which helps to ensure your medication is taken as prescribed and to reduce the risk of medication being lost or stolen.

If you have medicines at home that you no longer need, we can dispose of them safely for you. Just bring them to our pharmacy and we’ll do the rest.