C4U NHS Services Hub

At Chemist4U, the NHS division of our business works in collaboration with the local and national NHS to deliver care via Essential and Advanced Services. As part of this we have Clinical Governance requirements to ensure safe and effective operating of our service to ensure gold standard service to our customers.

Essential Services

This pharmacy is owned by Innox Trading Ltd t/a Chemist4U, 34a-37 Greenhey Place, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 9SA. Telephone: 01695 474 433. The NHS services we provide, both Essential and Advanced are all funded by the NHS.

We provide the above NHS services on behalf of NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT england.contactus@nhs.net


Ordering Medicines & Prescription Ordering

We dispense NHS prescriptions (paper and electronic) and will give advice on how to get the most benefit from your medicines. We keep a comprehensive stock of medicines and use an efficient wholesaler service to enable us to dispense all prescriptions promptly. We can also dispense NHS repeat dispensing prescriptions. Ask us for more information about this service.

Our staff can also advise you on safe storage of medicines. To utilise our services you can sign up on our website here. You can also download our mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. Our mobile app integrates directly with your GP surgery to allow you to order your medicines, book appointments, view your medical record, track your delivery. Many apps exist that have similar functionality so you don’t have to use the Chemist4U mobile app to use our service, you can use any of the other apps listed below and simply add Chemist4U as your nominated Pharmacy.

Remember: Only order the medicines and appliances you need, save the NHS money and reduce waste, protecting our most valuable of national services.

When ordering your medicines it is important to ensure you details are up to date such as delivery address, and exemption. You can upload copy of your exemption certificate into your App dashboard or in your Chemist4U account area on the website.

NB: Not keeping your exemption status up to date can lead to receiving a fine of £100 from the NHS, please ensure your up to date exemption status and certificate are in your account dashboard, our team check these regularly but it is your responsibility to manage this.

When we dispense your prescription if our Pharmacist had any advice or guidance for you, you will either receive an e-mail or written note alongside you medication, to ask any questions simply go to our Ask A Pharmacist page.


Repeat Dispensing

Repeat dispensing is an alternative model for prescribing and dispensing regular medicines and appliances to patients on stable long-term treatment. Repeat supplies of medication may be managed by the patient's pharmacy. The prescriber produces a repeatable prescription and a set of identical 'batch' forms - the number required, is equal to the number of times the prescription is to be repeated and this is to be indicated on the form, for example, 1 of X, 2 of X.

Each repeatable prescription can be dispensed at regular intervals, for example, monthly for a period of up to twelve months. However, an NHS repeatable prescription needs to be dispensed for the first time within six months of being written and can then only be dispensed subsequently for up to a year from being written or until any expiry date specified by the prescriber, whichever is less.

A dispensing interval does not have to be set by the prescriber, so that the supplier has maximum flexibility to make a professional decision when to dispense the next supply for the patient. This is of particular benefit for patients with certain appliances or for patients that may be travelling and require an additional supply of their items ahead of time.

The aims and intended service outcomes for repeat dispensing are:

  • To increase patient choice and convenience, by allowing them to obtain their regular prescribed medicines and appliances directly from a supplier of their choice for a period agreed by the prescriber.
  • To minimise wastage by reducing the number of medicines and appliances dispensed which are not required by the patient.
  • To reduce the workload of General Medical Practices, by lowering the burden of managing repeat prescriptions.

For more info on the benefits of Repeat Dispensing and how it may work for you please click here.


Discharge Medicines Service

In hospital, the medicines you take may be changed, or new medicines prescribed. With your consent, we may be informed of these changes so that we can provide advice and support to you with the medicines you will be taking after your visit to hospital. We can also liaise with the hospital and your doctor, if this is necessary. Ask us for more information about this service should it be applicable to you.


Safe Storage & Disposal of Medicines

Storing your medicines safely and at an appropriate temperature and out of the sight and reach of children and pets is crucial. Most medicines and appliances you receive can be stored at room temperature (under 25 degrees), however sometimes you may receive items that require refrigeration such as insulins and specialist eye drops. Please check the dispensing label provided with your medicine and follow any specific storage instructions which may include keeping your medicines in the fridge.

If you have some unused medicines or excess supply, the first thing to do is review your ordering process and ensure that you only order medicines that you will actually need for that month to save the NHS resources. In the event you have excess or expired medicines you wish to return you can simply request a medicine returns label from our team, print the label and drop the medicines at the post office to be returned to us.

Please return all unwanted medicines to the pharmacy where we will dispose of them safely. Please contact the customer service team to arrange the return of your unwanted medication.

How Can I Dispose of Unwanted Medications Safely? | Chemist4U (chemist-4-u.com)


Dispensing Appliances

As part of our essential services, we dispense appliances such as stomas, catheters, and dressings. In some instances it may be a requirement for your stoma or device to be customised before it is provided to you. Whilst we provide dispensing of the appliances we do not have an onsite customisation provision for appliances. If you require these specialist services we can (with your consent) forward you to one of the following providers below:

Please get in touch to learn more about appliance customisation. An advanced NHS service is available from both suppliers above called Appliance Use Reviews which can be hugely beneficial to users of appliances. We currently do not offer this advanced service, if you would like access to this service please let us know and we will put you in touch with the relevant company.


Delivery

As a Distant Selling Pharmacy, we deliver (free) to your preferred address. If you use the Chemist4U website or our mobile app to order your medicine you can track delivery all the way to your door! When we receive your prescription we will e-mail or send you a notification giving you an estimated delivery time which is usually 48 hours after receipt.


Records We Keep

The purpose of the records is to ensure there is an accurate audit trail for items supplied, and also to assist pharmacy to provide advice and support to patients with regard to their medication or appliances supplied, provide continuing care for patients, and document any interventions or referrals made during the dispensing process.

We keep records of all your prescriptions dispensed by us, as well as records of other services we provide to you. Our pharmacy professionals also consult records to support your care, such as NHS summary care records or local shared care records. Our use of records helps us check for possible problems, such as reactions between medicines, and will help us deal with any queries you may have. We comply with the Data Protection Act and the NHS code on confidentiality. If you want to discuss the records we keep, please contact us.


Referrals & Signposting

If we cannot dispense an item prescribed, for example it is out of stock, or cannot provide the required stoma appliance customisation, then with your consent we will pass you to a relevant provider who can facilitate your supply, or we can forward you the details of the provider to contact directly yourself.


Healthy Living Advice & Self-Care

Our pharmacist and trained assistants are available to provide advice on all medicines and minor ailments, via email if you like or via phone or videocall. We can also give you advice on how to live a healthy life, for example, advice on how to stop smoking or healthy diets. We aim to meet Healthy Living Pharmacy standards and have a dedicated health promotion zone located on our website where you can get information on public health issues. You can also talk to our health champion who can give you advice on how to improve your health and wellbeing. We can also direct you to other sources of advice and assistance if we cannot help you ourselves.

Please click here for the healthy living hub


Contacting us

By visiting the Chemist4U contact us page you can reach out to us via email, telephone, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter or leave a message for the Pharmacist to call you back.


Complaints

Our aim is to give the highest possible standard of service. Please tell us what you think about the service we provide at this pharmacy and any ways in which you think we can improve our services to you. If you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints, please reach out. You can leave us a review on Truspilot.

We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria. Please visit our complaints page for more info on our process for dealing with a complaint.

Our staff work hard to provide you with the best possible service. Please treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve. We may refuse to provide services to individuals or those accompanying those individuals who are violent, threaten violence, commit, or threaten to commit a criminal offence.


Access & Disability Assessments

We make appropriate arrangement for disabled visitor including the following,

  • Car park spaces
  • Wheelchair access
  • Disabled access toilet facility

We have healthcare professionals available to speak to in private, please feel free to contact the team at Chemist4U.

When the pharmacy is closed, if you urgently need medical help or advice, but it’s not a life-threatening situation, contact NHS 111, by calling 111. Information can also be accessed at the NHS website.

When assessing if you qualify for a Multi-Dose Dispensing system we have a standard criteria which can be applied by one of our Pharmacists. If you believe you may be eligible please contact us to learn more.


Advanced Services

New Medicine Service

When you are prescribed a medicine to treat one a range of long-term conditions for the first time, the pharmacist will support you to use the medicine safely and to best effect. Our pharmacist will talk to you about one to two weeks after you first receive the medicine to see how you are getting on with it and to discuss any problems you may have. A second follow-up will be a month after you first receive the medicine. Our pharmacist will give you details and offer this free NHS service, if this is available to you.

General practices can refer patients for a minor illness consultation via CPCS, once a local referral pathway has been agreed. As well as referrals from general practices, the service takes referrals to community pharmacy for minor illness or if a patient needs an urgent supply of a medicine from NHS 111 and NHS 111 online, Integrated Urgent Care Clinical Assessment Services and in some cases patients referred via the 999 service.

We at Chemist4U offer this service in our local area supporting emergency supplies of medication which we de-liver locally and offering consultations and advice via telephone and video call.


Flu Vaccination Service

Each year we provide an NHS flu vaccination service to people aged 18 years and older who are eligible to receive a free vaccination.


NHS Blood Pressure checks service

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a condition which can be controlled to reduce your risk of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease. We are offering free NHS blood pressure checks to people aged 40 and over with no appointment necessary. This involves a consultation with our pharmacist. Following this, you may be invited to take home a monitor that measures your blood pressure as you go about your daily life. Depending on your readings, you may be referred to your GP. Currently we are only offering this service to our staff of over 120 people. If you would like to utilise this service please contact us and we will ensure you are sign posted to an appropriate provider.


Clinical Governance

In 2005, the DH introduced a new 'Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework' and as part of this framework Pharmacy Contractors had to operate their business in a clinical governance framework. It is designed to ensure that all paperwork and procedures are in place to enable a relevant monitoring and audit to be carried out by the regulating body and also ensure both patient and contractor accountability.


Patient Satisfaction Surveys & Feedback

Our most recent patient satisfaction survey can be found here. We have also partnered with Trustpilot, one of the largest review platforms in Europe to independently manage customer reviews for our service. Check out our performance here.


Adverse Reactions Reporting

If you have an adverse reaction to one of your medicines also known as a side-effect, please let us know and we will aim to give you the best advice possible to help mitigate it. As per national requirements we would also recommend that any adverse reactions are reported to the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme which helps inform the wider market to build helpful data.


Summary Care Records Access

When you sign up for our NHS services and indeed for some of our Online Clinic private healthcare services we request that you provide us consent to access your NHS Summary Care Record. This access is only used for the intention of patient safety, we check it when you sign up to our NHS services to ensure all of your details are correct and we may also access it to make sure the medicines we provide you are safe for use. For more information please visit NHS SCR.

Cyber Security and Data/Information Governance

As part of our Cyber Security framework we have partnered with IT Governance an independent partner who assist us with:

  • NHS DS&P Toolkit Compliance
  • Cyber Essentials Plus Certification (Check out our registration here)
  • Annual Penetration Testing
  • Data Protection and Information Governance policies and internal framework.
© 2024 Chemist4U. Innox Trading Ltd, 35-37 Greenhey Place, Skelmersdale, Lancashire, WN8 9SA, GB. All rights reserved. Registered and regulated UK pharmacy with the GPhC (registered premises 9011784). Registered in England No. 07262043 | VAT Registration No. GB140138454