Services

At Curie Chemist we welcome your comments and suggestions.
We aim to give you the highest standards of customer care and service. Should you have any complaints about our services or products please speak to our pharmacist. We operate a formal complaints procedure which is part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. You can also get advice from the local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS is not part of the complaints procedure itself, but they might be able to resolve your concerns informally or can tell you more about the complaints procedure and independent complaint advocacy services.
Please visit the NHS Website for more information about how to make a complaint on an NHS Service received from us or from any other NHS organization.

Patient advice and liaison services (PALS)
University College Hospital At Westmoreland Street
16-18 Westmoreland Street
London
W1G 8PH
Email: pals@uclh.nhs.uk

At Curie Chemist we have a private Consultation Room available for your use.
If you wish to talk to the pharmacist on duty in private, or any of our helpful pharmacy staff, we can arrange this for you.
It can be embarrassing or difficult to talk to staff in front of other patients in the pharmacy about a medical condition. At Curie Chemist we understand this; so, just ask if you would prefer to discuss anything in the privacy of our Consultation Room.

UK Passport and general ID-Card Photography Service

We can take, process and print (while you wait) your photograph for UK Passport, Driving Licence or general ID-Card use.

At Curie Chemist we dispense both NHS and private prescriptions and supply medicines and appliances.
We will give information and advice on how to get the most benefit from your medicines and appliances.
We keep a record of what we supply to our customers so when you bring in a prescription, our records tell us whether you may safely take a medicine with any others you may be taking. We label your medicines to remind you about precautions such us avoiding alcohol and not driving if you feel drowsy.
We keep a comprehensive stock of medicines and use a fast and an efficient wholesaler service to enable us to fill all prescriptions promptly

We may be able to help if you need a prescription medicine in a genuine emergency when it is impossible to get to your doctor.
It cannot be done under the NHS, so we have to charge.

The pharmacist on duty and our trained assistants are available for advice on all medicines and minor ailments as well as on appropriate use of non-prescription medicines, in private if required, within the privacy of our consultation room.
We can also give you advice on how to live a healthy life; for example, advice on how to stop smoking and maintaining a healthy diet.
We can direct you to other sources of advice and assistance if we cannot help you ourselves.
Come in and help yourself from our display of free healthcare leaflets covering many of the topics we get asked about. Look out for new ones each month.

Flu Vaccination

The Flu Vaccination is available from October – the service is FREE if you are registered with a GP within our local area and fall within the following criteria:

- 65 years old and over
- Pregnant
- Have a serious medical condition (including diabetes, heart/chest/kidney conditions)
- Are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence)
- Are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
- A frontline health or social care worker

All medicines are dispensed in child resistant containers unless you request us not to.
Please remember: keep all medicines out of reach and sight of children.
Our pharmacist on duty can advise you on safe storage of medicines

Medicines optimisation is a priority for the NHS and community pharmacists are recognised as being well placed to help improve patient outcomes in this area.

Ask Your Pharmacist is a campaign led by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which aims to raise awareness of the support, advice and services available to people at their local community pharmacy.

Making the most of your medicines

Most of us will take medicines at some point in our lives. For some of us this may be for a short period (days, months or a few years), for others medicines may be needed for the rest of our lives. Medicines can be used to stop us getting ill, help us stay healthy, control our conditions or cure an illness. But using them sometimes isn't easy.

You need to:
- Take them at the right times and in the right way
- Look out for side effects or for signs that you aren't getting any better (or getting worse)
- If you need medicines regularly make sure you always have enough of your medicines.

This can take time and commitment especially if you are taking many different medicines. Understanding what your medicines are for, how they work, when and how to take them and why they should be taken as prescribed can help to make sure you get the best results from medicines.

Here are some things that you can do to make the most of your medicines.

What can you do?

When you or someone you care for is prescribed a medicine here are some questions that you might want to ask your doctor, pharmacist, nurse or other health professional.

It may help to print these questions and take them with you next time you see your health professional. (Click here to Download and Print the Questions)

Questions to ask about your medicines:

1- What am I taking this medicine for?
2- Does this new prescription mean I should stop taking any other medicines?
3- How and when should I take my medicine?
4- How long should I take my medicine for?
5- When will it start working? How can I tell if it's working?
6- Are there any foods, drinks, or other medicines to avoid while I'm taking this medicine?
7- What are the potential side-effects? What should I do if I think I have a side-effect?
8- What should I do if I miss a dose?
9- How do I get more of this medicine if it runs out?
10- Who should I talk to if I want any further help when taking this medicine?

If you have any questions speak to your health professional. Especially if:

- you are thinking about stopping a medicine, or are not taking a medicine you have been prescribed
- for any reason you are finding it difficult to take a medicine as it was prescribed
- you are worried or concerned about side effects that you may be experiencing

It may also help to find out more about the condition that you have and if there is anything that you can do to help stay well.

"I have an alarm on my phone which reminds me to take my medicines and quite often I just ignore it, the text message* which comes through a little later is the one I find more helpful because it sits on my phone and every time I look at my phone I remember that I haven't taken my meds." (By a patient with HIV)

What can you expect?

Your doctor, pharmacist, nurse or other health professional should work in partnership with you and:

- Help you to understand your medicines (what they do, how to use them) so that you can make decisions about your treatment. This may mean choosing a different medicine or treatment if it suits you better.
- Discuss with you your experiences of taking or not taking medicines, your views about what medicines mean to you and how medicines affect your daily life.
- Look for ways for you to get, take or use your medicines that fit in with your daily life.
- If you have any problems with your medicines help you to find solutions that you find acceptable.
- Jointly agree with you the desired outcomes from treatment, when a review of your condition will take place and if any monitoring is needed before and during treatment.

"I have a tremor caused by one of my medicines. To help control this I was prescribed another medicine three times a day. I found it was very difficult to take the dose in the middle of the day. The combination of my work schedule and finding a suitable place to take the tablet meant that I often missed the dose. I struggled with this for years until finally I was prescribed the tablet as a slow release version that I now take once in the morning." (By a patient with bipolar disorder)

Where can you go to find more support or information?

- NHS Choices has patient information about a range of illnesses and conditions as well as help for people wanting to stay healthy
- Local community pharmacists are always available on your high street. Pharmacists provide free expert advice about medicines and information about a wide variety of health issues. (Come to us at Curie Chemist and we will be more than happy to help)
- Patient Groups may have help-lines, resources and local groups that can support you.
- If you have any queries about medicines and are unable to talk directly to a healthcare professional, you can dial the NHS 111 number for advice.
- Every medicine should come with an information leaflet. It often contains a lot of information, but may answer specific questions that you have. If you have a question about a specific medicine, the pharmaceutical company may have an information service that you can contact.
- The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has a website for members of the public with resources that can help you make the most of your medicines
- The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has information to enable and support you to make decisions about your prescribed medicines.
- The NHS Constitution describes your rights and your responsibilities when using the National Health Service.

We stock a wide range of over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and mineral supplements. If we do not stock the item you require, we can order it for you.
Many of our staff have worked in the Pharmacy for almost 10 years and therefore, understand the needs of their customers in the local area; they are intensively trained to help customers with all aspects of their healthcare needs, from simple over-the-counter advice and medicines, to treatments for minor aliments that were, until recently, only available from your local doctor’s surgery

Curie Chemist is pleased to offer patients a free Medicines Use Review (MURs) or Medi-Check.
This “Medicine Check” involves a confidential discussion about your medicines with the pharmacist and aims to help you get the most out of your medicines.
During the consultation you will have the opportunity to find out more about your medication and discuss any issues or problems.
This service is conducted in our private consultation room.
Please note that this review differs from the one done by the GP; the GP will assess and change medicines whereas the pharmacist will discuss the best way of taking them.
Please contact us for more information about this free NHS service – please ask for the pharmacist on duty.

We provide NHS Services on behalf of NHS London Area Team with Headquarters at the following address:
1st Floor, Skipton House, 80 London Road , London, SE1 6LH
Tel: 0300 3112233

Our computer allows us to keep records of all your prescriptions dispensed by us. This 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 of practice on confidentiality.
As a responsible UK based company we abide by the rules and regulations of the Data Protection Act 1998, and as such, no information supplied to us will be given to or used by any third parties other than us.

We offer FREE Prescription Collection and Delivery Service in the local area!
Make life easier for yourself and let us order your prescription on your behalf. Simply let us know what repeat medicines you need, a few days before they run out, either in person, by phone, fax or email and we will arrange to collect it from your Doctor's surgery. When we have collected your prescription it will be dispensed and waiting for you to collect from our pharmacy. We can also deliver your prescription medicines to your home for free if you live locally; you may come to our pharmacy for more details and speak to a member of staff or call us on 020 7262 4860.

We can dispense NHS repeat dispensing prescriptions issued by your doctor.
Ask us for more information about this service.

Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP)

The way the NHS provides prescriptions to patients will be changing soon. In the near future, patients will have their prescription created and sent electronically directly from their GP to their 'nominated' pharmacy where they wish to receive their medication or appliance from.
There will be a transition period where both paper and electronic versions will be created simultaneously so that the systems that handle the ETP versions have time to settle in and become the single standard means of issue.
We are asking our regular customers to sign a Nomination Form that will allow us to obtain your electronic prescription from your surgery when the NHS Electronic Prescription Service comes into effect.
You will normally be asked to nominate just one pharmacy for your prescriptions to be sent to and dispensed rather than a variety of pharmacies.
Curie Chemist is already equipped with computers and systems that are capable of handling electronic prescriptions.When visiting a pharmacy or your surgery keep an eye out for the symbol shown in the image on the right, which identifies where the NHS Electronic Prescription Service is being used.

Curie Chemist offers a FREE PRESCRIPTION COLLECTION AND DELIVERY SERVICE.

All you need to do is come in to our pharmacy and give us your permission to collect your prescription on your behalf.

Make life easier for yourself and let us order your prescription on your behalf. Simply let us know what repeat medicines you need, a few days before they run out, either in person, by phone, fax or email and we will arrange to collect it from your Doctor's surgery. When we have collected your prescription it will be dispensed and waiting for you to collect from our pharmacy. We can also deliver your prescription medicines to your home for free if you live locally; you may come to our pharmacy for more details and speak to a member of staff or call us on 020 7262 4860.We can dispense NHS repeat dispensing prescriptions issued by your doctor.
Ask us for more information about this service.

Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions (ETP)

The way the NHS provides prescriptions to patients will be changing soon. In the near future, patients will have their prescription created and sent electronically directly from their GP to their 'nominated' pharmacy where they wish to receive their medication or appliance from.
There will be a transition period where both paper and electronic versions will be created simultaneously so that the systems that handle the ETP versions have time to settle in and become the single standard means of issue.
We are asking our regular customers to sign a Nomination Form that will allow us to obtain your electronic prescription from your surgery when the NHS Electronic Prescription Service comes into effect.
You will normally be asked to nominate just one pharmacy for your prescriptions to be sent to and dispensed rather than a variety of pharmacies.
Curie Chemist is already equipped with computers and systems that are capable of handling electronic prescriptions.When visiting a pharmacy or your surgery keep an eye out for the symbol shown in the image on the right, which identifies where the NHS Electronic Prescription Service is being used.

Stopping smoking can be very difficult.

At Curie Chemist, in addition to offering help and advice on stopping smoking, we can help you to kick the habit by offering you a wide range of smoking cessation products to support you in your quest.

We have a comprehensive support Service to help you give up smoking. It’s a 12 week programme and is FREE.

We can supply you with a range of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (Nicotine Patches, Nicotine Chewing Gum, Nicotine Nasal Spray, Nicotine Lozenges, Nicotine Inhalator) or Champix.

We have several trained Level 2 smoking cessation advisors who will be happy to advise you. The medication is FREE if you are exempt from prescription charges and if you pay for your prescriptions, then it’s the normal prescription charge per supply. (It may be advisable to purchase a prescription pre-payments certificate in some cases – ask in store or ring us for more details).

Come in and see us for further information on our product range.

You have more options than you think!

We provide wide aisles for ease of access and the staff will gladly help with access into the store.
Our staff work hard to provide you with the best possible service. Please treat them with the courtesy and respect they deserve.
We reserve the right to refuse to provide services to individuals who act in a violent, threatening or aggressive manner.

At Curie Chemist we offer our constant support for people with any disability by:
– Assessing medicine compliance needs of patients with disability.
– Providing reasonable adjustment or support.
– Providing alternative forms of labelling or reminder chart.
– Providing multi-compartment compliance aid when required.
– Step Free Access.
– Wide Aisles.
– Fron door Ramp for easy Wheelchair Access.
– Disabled Parking.
– Access to Private Consultation Room.

Our pharmacist on duty is always glad to give advice about avoiding sunburn, tummy upsets, malaria and the others holidays risks and to recommend remedies for many holiday ailments. You will also find on our shelves everyday holiday items.

To make an appointment please call us on 020 7262 4860.

Alternatively, please send us an email via our Contact Us Form on our website and state your name, your available time to come to see us, as well as the service that you are interested in.

It is dangerous and unwise to keep hold of unwanted medicines at home.
Please return all unused and unwanted medicines to us at Curie Chemist; we can dispose of them safely for you.
We accept and dispose of unwanted medicines from patients and carers.