Sefton expands Care at the Chemist service

SEFTON'S 'Care at the Chemist' scheme has a new extended service, providing treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs), better known as water infections, directly from local Pharmacies without the need to be seen by a GP.

Women between the ages of 16 and 65 years who have symptoms of a common UTI, who are not pregnant or breastfeeding, can now access the treatment by visiting a participating pharmacy.

The Care at the Chemist scheme in Sefton offers quick and easy healthcare advice and medicines for a wide range of illnesses and conditions and is available at 31 Pharmacies in the borough. It means that, where appropriate, residents can go directly to their local pharmacy for expert treatment or medicines for a wide variety of conditions, without needing to see their GP 1st.

The medicines are prescribed free of charge for anyone who does not pay for their prescriptions. Those who do pay will be charged the current prescription charge, or lower if they are cheaper to buy over the counter.

Susanne Lynch MBE, head of medicines management for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside in Sefton, said:- "Our local Pharmacists are fully trained and qualified to help you with a wide range of minor illnesses and common conditions. They are your local healthcare experts. In addition to the healthcare advice and support available from all Pharmacies, it's great that we can offer easier treatment for things like simple water infections and more, as part of the Care at the Chemist scheme."

Dr Pete Chamberlain, local GP in Sefton said:- "A lot of problems do not need a GP to resolve. Accessing help through the Care at the Chemist scheme means that you'll get the right treatment faster and start feeling better sooner. GP practices are busier than ever, so if you have a common or minor illness, avoid the queues and visit a chemist near you to get help quickly and easily."

The conditions that are covered by the scheme include:- common illnesses like coughs and colds, fever and headaches, as well as conditions such as:- conjunctivitis, scabies, thrush and allergies. The full list of conditions included in the scheme are below:-

Residents in Sefton can drop into 1 of the 31 participating Pharmacies who are signed up to the scheme and ask about joining Care at the Chemist. Those offering the extended service for UTIs are highlighted with an asterisk (*) and you can find the full list of Pharmacies below:

South Sefton...

Alexanders Pharmacy, Stuart Road, Crosby. *

Asda Pharmacy, Aintree. *

Asda Pharmacy, Strand Road, Bootle. *

Bridge Road Chemist, Litherland. *

Cohens Chemist, Bridge Road, Crosby. *

Cohens Chemist, Marian Square, Bootle. *

Davey's Chemist, Randall Drive, Ford. *

Higgins Pharmacy, Crosby Road North, Waterloo. *

Knowsley Road Pharmacy, Bootle.

Netherton Pharmacy, Gordon Youth Centre. *

Rightdose Pharmacy, Liverpool Road South, Maghull. *

Rowlands Pharmacy, Sefton Road, Litherland. *

Station Road Pharmacy, Maghull. *

Superdrug Pharmacy, Bootle Strand

Whitworth Chemist, Moore Street, Bootle. *

Southport and Formby...

Asda Pharmacy, Southport. *

Bispham Road Pharmacy, Southport. *

Cambridge Road Pharmacy, Churchtown. *

Care+ Chemist, Banastre Road, Southport. *

Crossens Pharmacy, Rufford Road, Southport. *

Formby Health Rooms and Pharmacy, Liverpool Road.

Fylde Road Pharmacy, Southport. *

Hesketh Park, Queens Road, Southport. *

Rowlands Pharmacy, Chapel Lane, Formby. *

Rowlands Pharmacy, Liverpool Road, Birkdale. *

Rowlands Pharmacy, Upper Aughton Road, Birkdale. *

Sedem Pharmacy, Roe Lane, Churchtown. *

St Marks Church Pharmacy, Southport. *

Whitworth Chemist, Norwood Avenue, Southport. *

Woolleys Internet Pharmacy, Bispham Road, Southport. *

1.6 million UK workers have never felt appreciated at work, new study finds

1.6 million UK workers feel that they have never been shown appreciation at work, according to a new study. Surveying 2,000 UK adults, online printing specialists instantprint, looked to uncover the most common love languages, and how these translate into our professional lives.

The theory of:- 'Love Languages' has been sweeping social media by storm, with the topic boasting nearly 250 million views on Tik Tok alone. Based on a concept by Gary Chapman, love languages are commonly used to describe how we prefer to show and receive love in our personal relationships, but how do our love languages play out in our professional relationships at work?

Of those surveyed, 53% could identify their love language, 33% stating that quality time was their top way of showing and receiving love. Physical touch was the 2nd most popular love language (28%) followed by words of affirmation (18%).

Acts of service and receiving gifts were the rarest forms of love language, securing 15% and 6% of the vote respectively.

Men were found to be considerably more inclined towards physical touch than women (18% vs just 12%), whereas women were more likely to choose quality time (19%) than men (16%).

To test whether our love languages align with how we want to be appreciated at work, instantprint assigned common ways of showing appreciation to a love language and then asked UK office workers what makes them feel the most appreciated at work.

Act of appreciation Attributed love language % of workers who prefer this.

Private praise for a good job Words of affirmation 51%.

A pay rise Receiving gifts 48%.

Public praise for a good job Words of affirmation 32%.

Receiving prizes, incentives or bonuses Receiving gifts 30%.

Consistent, prompt feedback Acts of service 29%.

Despite words of affirmation only ranking third when it came to the nation's top love languages, they score highly in a work environment. This act of appreciation was unanimously voted as office workers' preferred way to build professional relationships and feel appreciated at work, with private praise for a good job coming out on top with over half (51%) of employees rating this act highly. 32% also said they appreciate public praise for a job well done.

When it comes to receiving gifts, only 6% of us claim this as our love language. However, pay rises (48%), bonuses and promotions (30%) rank extremely highly when it comes to our professional lives.

Although physical touch is a firm favourite way to show and receive love outside of work, in the office, this love language might be best avoided - just 14% want to get close and personal when working together, and only 13% would like to receive a handshake to show appreciation.

Men are more likely to want to receive a handshake or pat on the back at work for a job well done (15%) than women (12%). When it comes to feeling appreciated, women would prefer more autonomy over their working day (25% vs 18% of men) and getting time to chat with co-workers (29% vs 21% of men).

In addition to sharing how they prefer to be appreciated, survey respondents were also asked how they are usually shown appreciation at work, finding that words of affirmation are the most common choice for employers.

Act of appreciation Attributed love language % of workers who've received this act.

Private praise for a good job Words of affirmation 44%

Public praise for a good job Words of affirmation 23%

Consistent, prompt feedback Acts of service 19%

Getting time to chat with co-workers Quality time 17%

A pay rise Receiving gifts 16%

Private praise for a good job (44%) and public praise (23%) were found to be the most used way for employers to show their appreciation, with them placing 1st and second on the list.

However, this shows that despite 51% of workers favouring this type of praise from their boss, 56% have not ever been praised privately for their efforts at work.

Although receiving gifts was the 2nd most popular way to receive appreciation according to employees, employers aren't as likely to give them out, with only 12% of workers being given new opportunities. Just 10% have been given more control over their working day, and 8% have received a promotion.

When asked, 5% of employees actually confessed that they had never been shown any appreciation at work, translating to 1.6 million workers across the UK feeling this way.

Laura Mucklow, Head of instantprint, commented on the findings:- "Although the theory of love language might not always translate to office relationships, words of affirmation go a long way to building relationships, whether personal or professional. Get to know your team's:- 'office love language' and make sure you're showing appreciation for their hard work; it could be the reinforcement you need to ensure you're keeping the best staff engaged and employed with your business!"