In the UK last week the National Health Service launch a public awareness campaign to persuade people to get advice early from their local pharmacist if they are ‘feeling under the weather’.

The campaign called ‘Feeling under the Weather’ has been launched to persuade people, especially older people and those with existing respiratory conditions, to seek early advice from their local pharmacist. It will go through November to early December.

Those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis and COPD are particularly vulnerable to being admitted to hospital for serious relapses, and for seniors, even the common cold or flu can become more serious.

“As a doctor who has spent some 30 years working in A&E, I know we have to do better at helping people stay well, not just picking up the pieces when they fall seriously ill. The NHS has not spent enough time broadcasting that message in the past. Every winter, doctors and nurses see a big increase in the number of older and frail people who are admitted to hospital because of respiratory or other chronic conditions usually worsened by immobility, the cold and viral illnesses. People often don’t seek advice for wheezes, coughs and sneezes because they don’t think it’s serious enough, or they don’t want to waste their pharmacist’s time. But no problem is too small for your local pharmacist, who is a highly trained and trusted source of health advice.” reported Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s clinical director for acute care.

Building on the success of last winter’s campaign and the evidence base for the urgent and emergency care review, ‘feeling under the weather’ aims to relieve pressure on A&E departments by promoting earlier access to health advice and self-care information from community pharmacy services .

NHS winter planning started earlier e this year, with health professionals coming together to identify pressures and respond as widely as possible. The NHS is determined to protect the good standards of service that patients deserve, despite the very considerable pressures we anticipate over the winter months.

This year’s awareness campaign is aimed at people aged over 60 years old, as well as the carers of older people.

“We would encourage people to seek help from their pharmacist when they first feel unwell rather than waiting until it becomes more serious.” Dr Bruce Warner, Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for NHS England told us. He continued “Pharmacists and their teams are well trained and well placed to be able to offer advice to people seeking help. They can provide medicines advice and support for minor ailments, advise you about how to manage a long term condition and tell you if something needs more urgent medical attention from your GP, or even your local hospital.”

Many people are not aware that they can get advice on minor ailments from their local community pharmacy service. Expert help can be provided to people for them to manage their long-term conditions or for ailments such as a bad cough, wheezing, a cold or sore throat. Many pharmacies have longer opening hours than the average GP practice, and most have a private consultation area. If people need to see a doctor, they will be advised accordingly.