Time to lose weight?

The new year is twenty days old already. How did that happen so fast?

Many of us will have already broken our New Year's resolutions, but if you are serious about losing weight in 2012, then we are here to help.

The team at Barnton Pharmacy will listen to what you want to try to achieve and how you want to reach your goals and try to tailor a plan for you.

We use a range of weight loss methods to support you. These include:

Motivational support
You come in for a weigh in on a weekly basis and we give you hints and tips at each visit to keep you on track and motivated to reach your goals.

Lipotrim
Lipotrim is a total meal replacement programme, consisting of milkshake drinks or bars.
It is not for everyone, but if you are committed on the Lipotrim programme, you can see rapid results in a very sort space of time.

Participation requires the completion of a medical questionnaire and then you come to the pharmacy each week for a weigh in a motivational support as well as another week's supply of meal replacements.

Alli

We also stock Alli, which if taken alongside a low fat healthy diet, can help you lose 1lb more for every 2lb you lose on your own.

If you are serious about losing weight in  2012, come and speak to the team at Barnton Pharmacy to find out how we can help you.

Remember that Curves Barnton is just upstairs from the pharmacy and Aly and her team will be delighted to help design a fitness regime to complement your weight loss goals for 2012.

How to stop smoking and stay stopped for good in 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So, now is the time for the resolutions to start and what better way to start the year than by giving up smoking?
Speaking from experience*, I know it is one of the hardest things to do and requires huge amounts of mental strength and physical will. But, if you need a little bit more motivation than that, here are ten more good reasons to stop:

1. If you smoke 20 a day and stop today, you'll be £2000 richer by next Christmas.
2. In 20 minutes, your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal
3. In three days, your breathing will be easier and you'll feel more energetic
4. In one year, your risk of having a heart attack is about halved from when you still smoked
5. Even if you've tried to give up before, try again....most people need a couple of attempts to stay stopped
6. Your family will  thank you for stopping. Kids exposed to second hand smoke are more at risk of cot death, asthma, chest infections and diabetes
7. If you stay stopped for 10 years, your lung cancer risk is half that of someone who still smokes.....it's never too late to stop.
8. By the end of January, you could have nearly £200 in spare cash!
9. You won't need to go outside for a fag in the middle of winter
10. We can help you!!!!

If you are serious about stopping, come and see Hazel, Sandra, Sally or Leanne at Barnton Pharmacy. We can sign you up for the NHS Pharmacy Stop Smoking Service which is FREE OF CHARGE to everyone. You commit to coming to see us weekly for 12 weeks and we will give you the motivation to stop and stay stopped as well as whichever nicotine replacement treatment is most  appropriate for you.


*My last cigarette was eight years ago, but some days it feels like yesterday and I still never say, never - just "not today, thanks"

2011 - A year in numbers

Apologies for the lack of blogginess in the last few weeks. Any of you with any experience of community pharmacy at this time of year will know that all rational and logical thinking goes out of the window in an attempt to dispense four month's worth of prescriptions in four weeks....just in case we don't open again after the planned two day closure!

Anyway, I am back and in reflective mood. 2011 has been an amazing year for Barnton Pharmacy and in trying to sum it up I thought I would share some of the highlights in numbers.

1 rebrand and new look pharmacy

We think the new look works really well and gives a clean and professional finish. 

29 blog posts written 

Must do better in 2012

890 patients registered for the minor ailments service

and receiving consultations and advice free of charge for minor ailments from head lice to coughs and colds.

1231 bottles of fresubin over-ordered

Don't worry Hazel, you are forgiven, but I'm afraid it will be used as a learning example for years to come!

5 awards won:

Scottish Pharmacist Innovation & Change Award in February

Alphega Pharmacy regional award in May

Key Staff Award for Hazel in October

Alliance Healthcare Scottish Pharmacy of the Year in November

and

Alliance Healthcare UK Pharmacy of the Year in November

206 patients registered fof the new chronic medication service

A really good start to the service for us, but we now need to focus on making it business as usual for out patients with long term conditions.

89.7kg lost by people on our Lipotrim weight management programme
and hoping to sign up many more in the new year. The next blog will focus on the New Year's resolutions.

35 smokers helped to stop smoking

Well done to all of them and keep up the good work.

2 staff retired

We'd like to wish Evelyn and Margaret long and happy days in the sun enjoying their hard earned retirment

4 new staff members

Big welcomes this year to Willie, Megan, Oana and Prince who join the team.

1 Parliamentary mention

70,379 aspirin tablets counted and dispensed
if you believe the computer record!

117 flu jabs administered
Vaccines are still available and it is not yet too late to protect yourselves and your loved ones.

2 sets of broken ribs
Willie and Sally. Both well on the mend now.

almost 50,000 prescriptions dispensed to our wonderful customers.

Thanks to our customers for supporting us during 2011.
Leanne and I would like to wish them all a Happy and Healthy 2012 

The 12 days of Christmas at Barnton Pharmacy

On the first day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me a prescription and some really great advice

On the second day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me two cold remedies

On the third day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me three hangover cures

On the fourth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me four first aid products

On the fifth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me five last minute present ideas

On the sixth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me six scrummy skincare treats

On the seventh day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me seven reasons to get a flu jab

On the eighth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me eight vitamins and minerals

On the ninth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me nine stocking fillers

On the tenth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me ten minutes to discuss stopping smoking

On the eleventh day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me eleven indigestion remedies

On the twelfth day of Christmas, 

Barnton Pharmacy gave to me twelve tips for a healthy 2012

Alliance Healthcare Awards and a few changes in store.

It's been a bit of a week for Barnton Pharmacy.

Last Thursday Leanne and I went down to London for the Alliance Healthcare Pharmacy Awards where we were shortlisted for in Scottish Community Pharmacy of the the year category. We were delighted to win that award, especially given the other shortlised candidate runs a fantastic pharmacy - Alan Glaugh of John  A Smith Pharmacy - on the other side of Edinburgh.

The icing on the cake, however, was to walk away with the overall UK Community Pharmacy of the Year title as well - selected from the winners of all the awards on the evening. I guess you could view it as a "best of the the best" award, and a real achievement in pharmacy circles.

It was a great night for Scottish pharmacy all round with the hospital prize going to a team from NHS Glasgow and the retail prize going to John Connolly of Wishaw.

Buzzing with success and delighted with our awards, we headed back to Scotland on Friday after a very late night (and a bit of retail therapy on Oxford Street!)

On Sunday we rebranded our pharmacy - under the Alphega Pharmacy banner. The whole team mucked in (fuelled on bacon rolls) and really got the job done. Huge thanks to Willie, Hazel and Sandra and of course our long suffering partners Nick and Alex.

We hope you agree the results are impressive and befitting of the "award winning" title.

Handbags and Gladrags....London here we come!

We're off to London tonight for the Alliance Healthcare Pharmacy Awards. The handbags and the gladrags are packed and there may even be a bit of time for a manicure before the big event this evening.

Barnton Pharmacy are shortlisted in two categories*; "Scottish Community Pharmacy of the Year" and "Alphega Pharmacy UK Pharmacy of the Year"

We are really pleased that our achievements since March 2010 are being recognised and all the hard work we have put in seems to be paying off. However, we are often so busy looking forward that we forget to look back and celebrate exactly what we have achieved. I thought I would use this blogging chance to do just that.

Since March 2010 we have:

• increased our prescription volume by about 20%
• 20 times more patients signed up to the minor ailments service who consult us regularly for their health concerns.
• a very successful smoking cessation service with excellent quit rates
• improved our customer service - judging by the chocolates and cards we receive from our loyal customers....it seems to have.
• helped many people lose weight through our weight management programme
• delivered on our vision of offering great pharmaceutical care in the community.

None of this would have been possible if it were just Leanne and I on our own. Our dedicated pharmacy team have worked really hard (through some tough times) to help us deliver our goals and we are truly grateful for that.

The fact that both Leanne and I can disappear to London and leave Hazel, Sandra and Willie to run the show is a credit to them! Thank you....now did I mention I've got a train to catch!

*Watch this space for whether we win or not.

Antibiotic Awareness Day

Some of my favourite sounding drugs are antibiotics. Is it wrong to have favourite drugs?
Moxifloxacin sounds to me like a character in a children's book, but is actually  fourth-generation synthetic fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent.
One of my favourite pharmacy jokes has an antibiotic as the punchline*. I know, pharmacy jokes....wrong! I definitely need to get out more.

So today is antibiotic awareness day which is aimed at raising awareness of the appropriate use of antibiotics in order to reduce antibiotic resistance which happens when antibiotics become ineffective against certain bugs, generally through inappropriate prescribing or use.

The main messages for today are to reduce inappropriate use and prescribing

Inappropriate use includes:

• not completing a course of antibiotics as prescribed
• skipping doses of antibiotics
• not taking antibiotics at regular intervals
• saving some for later

Inappropriate prescribing includes:

• unnecessary prescription of antibiotics
• unsuitable use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
• wrong selection of antibiotics and inappropriate duration or dose of antibiotics

In short. Antibiotics are not always the answer. Take care. Not antibiotics!

*Q. What do you use an erythrotrap for?
A. To catch your erythromycin.