The pharmacist can assist, says Dr Zahid Chauhan

You have no doubt read the headlines about long waits in Accident and Emergency, and, as a recent survey showed, the chief reason people become dissatisfied with the NHS is the wait for a doctor's appointment.

One of the main reasons for services being unable to meet demand is that people visit the wrong place to receive their treatment.

My biggest bugbear is the patient who uses none of the NHS free services such as phoning 111 for advice, deciding instead to rock-up at A&E to get paracetamol for their headache. It is such a costly waste and we should all remember that the resource we're taking, could be costing another seriously ill patient precious time.

The letters 'A&E' don't stand for 'Anything and Everything' and before we step foot in the emergency ward we should consider if we could gain treatment as part of extended GP opening hours, or at the local walk-in centre or indeed, in the pharmacy.

Thanks to the Minor Ailments Service, people in Rochdale can gain expert advice and support plus the supply of medicines they require from their pharmacist without an appointment. The pharmacy concerned will operate a triage system, assessing how seriously ill you are, and if you need extra care, they will signpost you to hospital or your GP.

The kind of conditions we recommend seeking pharmacist support for are:

• back pain
• eczema
• heartburn
• constipation
• headache
• cough
• sore throat
• the common cold
• sinusitis
• chicken pox

That is just a sample of what is a very long list.

When you consider patients are turning up at hospital and/or the GP to get all of these (and more) ailments treated, no wonder there's such a long queue to see the doctor.

Another powerful way to reduce waiting time is to try to not get ill in the first place.

Self-care is all about living well, eating a balanced diet, getting exercise and practising good hygiene.

But should you become ill, it is worth remembering the pharmacist will assist.

It can take up to eight years to study for the profession and pharmacists are amongst the most qualified group in healthcare anywhere.

So, when your symptoms are familiar or only causing you minor disruption, have some gumption and visit your local pharmacist.