Ask a Pharmacist
When it comes to buying medication online it can be quite difficult.
You need to make sure that the treatment is right for you and if you are unsure, there is often no one there that you can ask for advice.
We have changed that.
With our Ask-a-Pharmacist feature on Chemist 4 U, you can ask any question that you may have about any product.
It will be answered by our resident pharmacists, who have years of professional experience.
Who are the pharmacists that answer the questions?
The pharmacists that answer the questions that you submit to us are answered by our two pharmacists, Shamir Patel and James O’Loan.
Shamir and James are both experienced pharmacists with years of experience. They are also both Directors of Chemist 4 U, so your question will be going to the very top.
About Shamir Patel
GPHC Number: 2049338
Shamir is the Managing Director and founder of Chemist 4 U, setting up the company in 2001.
Shamir has years of experience as a pharmacist, working all around the North West of England before going down the path of being a business owner and Director.
About James O’Loan
GPHC Number: 2084549
James studied pharmacy at the Queens University Belfast, before moving to England from Northern Ireland in 2011.
He later teamed up with Shamir and became a Director of Chemist 4 U.
Alongside being a Director, James is a Chemist 4 U Pharmacist.
Why has the Ask-a-Pharmacist feature been implemented?
We have decided to build this feature as a way of being able to humanise ourselves.
As an online-only business, it can be difficult to build trust with a customer, as a high street pharmacy can.
With the Ask-a-Pharmacist feature, it allows you to be able to communicate with a qualified pharmacist, just as you can in a high street pharmacy, but in the comfort of your own home.
What is a Responsible Pharmacist?
In a high street pharmacy, the responsible pharmacist is the person who is responsible for the sale and safety of the pharmacy and the products that are sold.
The GPHC regulations, as outlined in the Medicines (Pharmacies) (Responsible Pharmacist) Regulations 2008, states that all pharmacy owners must appoint a responsible pharmacist.
Whoever the Responsible Pharmacist is, it must be visible to customers that this person is the Responsible Pharmacist.
For an online pharmacy, this isn't commonplace, as there is no customer-facing aspect.
However, this doesn't mean that an online pharmacy should not have a Responsible Pharmacist.
At Chemist 4 U, our Responsible Pharmacist is either Shamir or James and our website will always have a link to it at the top of the page.
How does Ask-a-Pharmacist work?
To ask one of our pharmacists a question, you first need to select the product that you want to ask about.
On the product page, you will see a tab in the description called Questions, click on this and you will see a form.
On this form, you will give some details, including your name and email. Here, you will also submit the question that you want to ask.
There will be a captcha just to prove that you’re not a robot.
How long does it take for my question to be answered?
In a nutshell, they will be answered as soon as possible.
Although it’s difficult to give an exact timeframe, questions are usually answered within 48 hours – sometimes on the same day!
Shamir and James are notified as soon as a question comes in and whenever they have a space few minutes, they take the time to answer our customers’ questions.
Shamir and James both understand the importance of delivering a high-quality service, and Ask-a-Pharmacist helps to do that.
How will I know when my question has been answered?
When your question has been answered, you will receive an email to notify you that your question has been answered.
Your question and the answer will appear on the relevant product that you asked about.
Will my name be published in the question?
In a word, no.
We understand that some questions might be sensitive in nature, and having your name next to it might not be what you want.
As a result, all questions are anonymous.
This allows for confidentiality like you would expect with a high street pharmacy, but also giving the information to others who might want to know the same thing.
What does Ask-a-Pharmacist mean for Chemist 4 U?
The Ask-a-Pharmacist feature on Chemist 4 U allows us to reinforce our values and helps Chemist 4 U continue to be an online pharmacy that you can trust.
Having a way to directly ask us questions about any of our products makes us more accessible and approachable to our customers.
It also allows us to have more useful information for the products that we offer.
Can a question be asked about any product?
Every one of our products at Chemist 4 U will have the Questions tab in order to send in a question.
Of course, it’s worth considering that not all of the products that are available are pharmacy only products, and any question about it might not need a pharmacist’s expert advice.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t send in a question, as we could still answer it, but it may not be answered by Shamir or James.
How many questions can be asked?
You can ask as many questions as you like.
Though, it is worth remembering that only one can be submitted at a time.
This is so we can ensure that all questions are answered properly and we can notify you when it is answered.
Our dedication to honesty, trust and transparency
At Chemist 4 U, we aim to provide pharmaceutical products at affordable prices.
We also aim to help and educate people with our range of guides, which cover a wide range of topics and conditions.
Everything we do is done with our 5 values in mind, which allows us to:
- Provide value
- Be Professional
- Be Trusted
- Friendly
- Accessible
Another way in which we are replicating the high street pharmacy experience is with our Responsible Pharmacist feature.
What is a Responsible Pharmacist?
In a pharmacy, the responsible pharmacist is the person who is responsible for the sale and safety of the pharmacy and the products that are sold.
The GPHC regulations, as outlined in the Medicines (Pharmacies) (Responsible Pharmacist) Regulations 2008, states that all pharmacy owners must appoint a responsible pharmacist.
Whoever the Responsible Pharmacist is, it must be visible to customers – this is usually a document placed on the wall of your local pharmacy and is changed each day depending on who the responsible pharmacist is.
However, websites don’t have walls – but we do have pages, so we have built a place for our customers to see who today’s responsible pharmacist is – just like they can in a traditional pharmacy or chemist.
At Chemist 4 U, our Responsible Pharmacist will be either Shamir or James on any given day.
You can find today’s responsible pharmacist here.
