I’m sure everyone has seen plenty of headlines this winter about the A & E crisis and the severe pressures this has placed on the NHS. Overflowing A & E departments, long waiting times and bed shortages have frequently been in the news. Unfortunately, while this has been a severe winter with greater consequences, it is not an isolated incident. It has been a reality for many years, and as demand on the NHS grows, the situation is likely to worsen. Not only does this mean patients do not get the best treatment, it can also be very inconvenient and distressing. This is probably more pronounced for the elderly in Totley as travelling to A & E can be difficult and even asking a neighbour to take you can be difficult when you don’t know how long the wait could be. In such times, GP surgeries can also become overburdened. While sometimes a visit to A & E or your GP is necessary, many times the problem can be resolved easier through other avenues. As well as self-treatment options such as rest, drinking plenty of fluids and using simple remedies such as paracetamol, visiting a pharmacy can be effective, quick and convenient. Indeed, the NHS has launched a “Treat Yourself Better With Pharmacist Advice” as a response to the winter crisis. This is hoped to reduce the burden on the NHS and improve patient treatment and satisfaction. It is also hoped that self-treatment rather than patients obtaining prescriptions for antibiotics will reduce the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Actually, in many cases antibiotics are ineffective since many colds are caused by viruses. With at least five years of experience to qualify and a wealth of knowledge about how best to treat minor symptoms, pharmacists are well placed to provide people with personalised advice for how they can self-treat many minor illnesses. We have a range of products which we can recommend. We will also refer you to other options when appropriate, for instance if we feel your symptoms may have been present too long or if we see any warning signs suggesting stronger treatment is required. A very useful resource is also www.treatyourselfbetter.co.uk We also offer a Minor Ailments service which is free and funded by the NHS. This can be used to obtain treatment for a variety of minor illnesses throughout the year which do not require seeing a Doctor. Not only is this service very convenient for patients, it is very cost-effective for the NHS. Research suggests a national Minor Ailments service could save the NHS £1 billion per year. Figures show treating common ailments such as coughs and colds through such a service is 5 times cheaper for the NHS than A & E. Please call in for more information or to find out which conditions can be treated and what medicines are available through this service (conditions include conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, hay fever, and threadworm to mention just a few). I hope that after almost two decades of serving the Totley community, most local people would feel comfortable discussing any such issues with me, but we do have a private consultation room where we can have a chat. Please feel free to pop in at any time even it if only to discuss how to maintain good health; we stock a wide range of supplements and vitamins too. We are also fortunate in Totley having David and his team at Synergy who offer natural alternatives.