Community Pharmacies

Pharmacists are experts in medicines who can help you with minor health concerns. They can help with your medicines, repeat prescriptions, minor illnesses, disposing of old medicines as well as many other services. To find out more visit www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/pharmacies/what-to-expect-from-your-pharmacy-team/

NHS prescription charges can be found here. For information about help with prescription costs and prescription charge expemptions, click here. 

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To find your local pharmacy and their opening hours, visit nhs.uk/find-a-pharmacy. 

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There are various options available to patients to help with day to day management of medicines including for example, larger printed labels, easier containers to open and reminder charts.  Reviews of medicines by the community pharmacist or GP can help patients understand their medicines better and possibly simplify medicines regimes so that patients can manage medicines day to day in an easier way. We know from research that many medicines aren't always taken by patients as intended. Sometimes medicines are complex to manage particularly if you are taking several medicines and for a long term condition. We therefore encourage patients to have discussions with either the community pharmacist or dispensers in order to see what options for support are available. Information for patients and healthcare professionals including a number of resources to help can be found here:

Interventions To Improve Adherence & Patient Outcomes.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Councils both have support services which can arrange volunteers to help with collecting and delivering individual patient’s medicines. The opportunity to use Volunteer Services are outlined below and will depend upon the nature of the patient and the prescription. Council organised volunteers who are DBS checked will be specifically required for some deliveries which will be at the professional discretion of the pharmacist in the community pharmacy and the dispensary lead in a dispensing practice.

Volunteer responders should not visit the pharmacy or dispensing practice until the prescription is ready.

1. NHS Volunteer Responders

The national NHS Volunteer Responders scheme is now live. One of the four roles that the volunteers have been nationally recruited and vetted to perform is delivery of medication. Guidance on how to refer individuals is here: https://www.goodsamapp.org/assets/pdf/Guide_for_Referrers.pdf.
To request a GoodSam volunteer click on the following link GoodSAM. This is not a registration process but a live request. Alternatively, you can telephone NHS Volunteer Responders on 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm). By submitting a first request you will automatically be registered as such to receive such services or make further requests for services.
a) If requesting as an individual patient you will receive an approval link, once you have confirmed this, you will receive your login details and it may take up to 72 hours
b) If you are requesting as a health professional or Council Personnel requests from NHS/Gov email addresses go live automatically

2. Worcestershire County Council “Here2Help” service for patients

a) Patients can make a request for help via the Here2Help Website www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help – patients should click the “I need help” tab in the middle of the page and complete the form. They will receive a response within 48 hours; or,
b) Patients, pharmacists or GPs can telephone Tel. Number: 01905 768053 (option 3) which is open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, and discuss the need for an appropriately qualified person to collect the prescription from the pharmacy/ dispensing practice and deliver to the patient.

3. Herefordshire County Council “Talk Community” service for patients

a) Patients can make a request for help via the Talk Community form through the link: Talk Community Coronavirus Support
b) Patients, pharmacists and GP practices can contact the Customer Services team which is open Monday – Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm, on Tel Number: 01432 260027 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if they need help with collecting prescriptions from the pharmacy/dispensary practice and deliver to the patient.

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If you're prescribed a medicine to treat a long-term condition for the first time, you may be able to get extra help and advice about your medicine from your local pharmacist through a free scheme called the New Medicine Service (NMS). To find out more, click here. 

All NHS community pharmacies will stock medicines commonly used in palliative care but this list may be referenced for those pharmacies which stock increased levels of palliative care medicines. Having good and convenient access to these medicines means that patients can have the medicines at home they may need.

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Please use the following links to access information on the current Sexual Health Services Providers for emergency contraception services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

For Herefordshire:
Information can be found by clicking on the link below which also includes which community pharmacies provide an emergency contraception service in Herefordshire:

https://sexualhealthservices4herefordshire.co.uk/

For Worcestershire:
Information can be found by clicking on the link below which also includes which community pharmacies provide an emergency contraception service in Worcestershire:

https://www.hacw.nhs.uk/contraception/