Play all audios:
It’s always better to get any concerns looked at promptly, in case they develop into something less manageable, such as diabetes. Here are five health services available for free from
pharmacies which could change your life. 1. TYPE 2 DIABETES TEST Over four million people in the UK have diabetes but it is believed up to one million more could have it without knowing. A
diabetes test allows the disease to be caught early, so speak to your local pharmacy to see if it offers a Type 2 Diabetes screening test. The test itself only takes a few minutes. The
pharmacist will ask some questions to assess the risk and offer advice on how to slow or reduce your risk of developing the condition. They may also measure your blood pressure and blood
glucose level. If the results of the screening indicate you are at risk, you will be referred to a doctor but can use the pharmacists for ongoing support. LORRAINE - DR HILARY TALKS ABOUT
LATEST FINDINGS ON STATINS AND DIABETES 2. PAIN MANAGEMENT SERVICE Living with chronic pain can have a major impact on your daily life and general wellbeing. If you have a painful
condition and your treatment or medication don’t seem to be helping, your local pharmacy can help. LloydsPharmacy offers a free Pain Management Service; a one-to-one consultation with either
one of the healthcare team or a pharmacist. There are a number of ways pharmacists can help with pain management and simple adjustments to the way you take your medication or to your
lifestyle could be all you need. GETTY Hearing tests are also available from pharmacies 3. PRESCRIPTION SERVICES How people receive our prescriptions has evolved. Now pharmacies offer a
range of convenient and supportive prescription services including repeat prescriptions, prescription delivery services and medicines check up. Research has shown that up to 50 per cent of
patients may not be taking our prescription medicines correctly and could be putting our own health at risk without even realising it. GETTY Pharmacists can give advice on pain management A
spokesman for Lloyds Pharmacy said: “A Medicines Check Up can help you understand if you are taking your prescription properly and getting the most benefit from your medicines. “It's a
free, NHS-funded service which allows you to talk in confidence with a qualified healthcare professional who can offer reassurance to those that are unsure about their prescriptions. “You
can also arrange for prescription medicines to be delivered to your home or place of work for free so you no longer need to worry about finding time to collect medicines from your pharmacy.”
GETTY Pharmacists can also help diagnose skin conditions 4. HEARING TEST It's estimated that one in every five people has some form of age-related hearing loss which we wait ten years
before doing anything about. By offering a convenient hearing test and examination, your pharmacy not only paves the way to obtaining a hearing solution but it may also uncover other
issues. The automated test takes about 10 minutes. The patient’s level of hearing loss will be assessed and people are provided with a copy of your hearing test results. If a hearing aid is
suitable, you could walk away with one in less than an hour. LloydsPharmacy allows you to trial your hearing aid for free before you buy it with no obligation to purchase. 5. SKIN ANALYSIS
Understanding your skin health is an important part of maintaining a good skincare regime as you can feel confident that you are using the right products which are helping, rather than
working against you. This is particularly important if you have a skin condition such as eczema. Using skin analysis technology, the pharmacy skin health advisor can measure elasticity,
hydration, oil (sebum), pigmentation and skin age and provide the patient with a comprehensive analysis of your individual skin health in minutes. The services are all available free at
LloydsPharmacy.