Winter Ready: Let Your Local Pharmacy Be Your First Stop for Health Advice


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When winter illnesses strike, your local pharmacy is ready to help with expert advice and treatments for minor health concerns.

From colds and sore throats to aches and pains, Lanarkshire’s community pharmacies offer quick, professional support, with no appointment needed. By visiting your pharmacy first, you can get the care you need faster. 

Pharmacy First, an NHS Scotland initiative available at all community pharmacies in Lanarkshire, allows residents to access free healthcare advice and treatment for minor illnesses and common winter ailments. Whether it’s a persistent cough, a dry or sore throat, or advice on managing winter bugs, pharmacists can assess symptoms and recommend the best course of action.

Muhsin Din, Advanced Clinical Services Pharmacist, said: “Winter can be a challenging time for many people’s health, but community pharmacies are here to make it easier. With Pharmacy First, you can get advice and treatment for a wide range of minor illnesses quickly, without waiting for a GP appointment.

“Our pharmacists are trained to provide expert care and can help you manage your symptoms before they become more serious. By choosing your local pharmacy first, you can often get back to feeling better faster while helping to ease pressure on other healthcare services.

“Pharmacists can also assist with urgent medication needs, including repeat prescriptions, and provide advice on managing long-term conditions during the winter. Some pharmacies have extended hours, making them accessible even when GP practices are closed over the festive season.” 

To find a pharmacy near you and learn more about Pharmacy First, visit the NHS Lanarkshire Winter Health Hub: www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/your-health/winter-health/

The hub includes details on pharmacy services, opening hours, and other healthcare options available to residents this winter. 

Euan has been one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the privilege to meet. Euan’s legacy cannot be overstated – his tireless advocacy has changed the landscape across the country for those with disabilities families in so many ways.

Whether it was his founding of Euan’s Guide, a disability review website that allowed easy access to information on venues, his work with his father in founding the world-leading Euan MacDonald Centre for MND Research at Edinburgh University and so much more.

Thanks to the work of Euan and his family the lives of families across Scotland have been forever transformed.

The work of the centre he founded is now helping those with MND across the world through its incredible cutting-edge work on stem cell research which I was shown on my last visit.

One of the most beautiful legacies Euan leaves is his work to give voices to those who would otherwise be voiceless. I was delighted to be involved in arranging the recording of voices from party leaders, MSP staff and others for a project now called Speak:Unique that allows people to create a personalised voice to ensure that they are able to speak in a voice that is unique to them, protecting their dignity and identity.

My father passed away from MND and being able to support Euan in a small way to improve life for those with the condition has been an absolute privilege and an honour.

My deepest condolences go out to his family and countless friends. We can all take some solace in the undeniable truth that his voice will live on all the ways he has helped so many.

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Hamilton, Clyde Valley - Christina McKelvie MSP, the passionate voice for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, has launched a scathing attack on the heartless two-child cap imposed by the Tories. In a no-holds-barred statement, McKelvie demanded that Labour MP and Assistant to the Chancellor Imogen Walker join the fight against child poverty and scrap this cruel policy that punishes struggling families.

1.6 million households across the UK are affected by the regressive two-child cap. This callous measure, introduced by the Conservative Government, has left hundreds of thousands of innocent children trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.

Save the Children estimates that abolishing this cap could lift half a million children out of relative poverty.

Christina McKelvie has called on Imogen Walker to support the amendments to scrap this heartless Tory policy.

The Scottish Labour Leader has already declared the Tory cap as "wrong" and urged Keir Starmer to scrap it. This places UK Labour MPs in Scotland in an awkward position, highlighting incoherent positions at a UK and Scottish level for the Labour party.

The two child cap is the first major rebellion brewing for Keir Starmer’s political project, with Labour MPs like John McDonnell announcing they may vote for amendments put forward by the SNP to scrap the cap.

Christina McKelvie MSP has urged Imogen Walker MP to use her unique position of power as the Personal Private Secretary to Rachel Reeves to push for a change in Government policy to scrap the Tory Cap.

Commenting Christina stated, " The two-child cap is nothing short of a cruel punishment for innocent children, trapping families in a cycle of poverty and denying them the opportunities they deserve. It was always a heartless attack on struggling families by the Tory Party – for the Labour Party to keep it in place would be unthinkable.

"It is time for Imogen Walker MP and the Labour Government she represents to stand up for what is right and prioritize the well-being of children over party politics. This regressive Tory policy must be scrapped without delay to help lift more than half a million children out of poverty.

“If the UK Labour MPs in Scotland ignore Anas Sarwar’s calls to scrap the two child cap and fail to vote for the SNP amendment in the commons today it will highlight the complete lack of influence Scottish Labour have within their own party.”

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