As the sun 🌞 is now shining and the pollen count is really high we are being inundated with hayfever phone calls for advice and medication. Please do not phone the surgery for general hayfever related problems.🤧We are unable to provide over the counter medication for hayfever on a prescription even if patients receive free prescriptions. The NHS has introduced a policy to try to reduce the number of prescriptions for over the counter medications that can be purchased by patients without a prescription.Our advice to all patients is to purchase over the counter medications for hayfever such as tablets, eye drops & nasal sprays. You should be able to purchase these items from your local supermarket or local pharmacy. You do not need to speak to a healthcare professional regarding general hayfever concerns there is some information on the practice website or on the NHS website about how to reduce the effects of hayfever.
The Exception would be if any of the following apply:• If you are experiencing wheezing, breathlessness or tightness in the chest. • If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and the pharmacist is unable to help 🤰🤱• If your symptoms are not relieved by over the counter treatments in combination with measures to reduce your exposure to pollen. • Children under 1 year old 👶• If you have tried all available over the counter medications and none of them has successfully relieved your symptoms.
Please contact the surgery and speak to our clinical pharmacist or advanced nurse practitioner.
Above information curtesy of Frome Valley Medical