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Pharmacy and Medicines Management

Pharmacy dispensaries are located at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Glan Clwyd Hospital
The pharmacy is located on the ground floor at the back of the hospital, past the lifts and the Acute Medical Unit.

Ysbyty Gwynedd
The pharmacy is located on the ground floor, adjacent to the lift area.

Wrexham Maelor Hospital
The pharmacy is located through the entrance foyer area and when you reach the main hospital corridor turn right. The pharmacy is then the second department on the left hand side. 

Community Pharmacies

Details of your local NHS pharmacy can be found in the Local Health Services Directory.

There’s more available from your local pharmacy than you might think

Community Pharmacists (or chemists as some people call them) are experts in medicines and how they are used, and they work hard to ensure that patients get the maximum benefit from their medicines.

Modern pharmacies are much more than just a place to pick up your medicines, and these highly trained health care professionals provide a range of other NHS services free of charge. This includes health and lifestyle advice, safe disposal of unwanted medicines, and much more including:

Medicines Use Reviews/ Discharge Medicines Review:

Most local NHS pharmacies in North Wales now offer a Medicines Use Review service where you can sit down in a private consultation area and discuss your medications with the pharmacist. This free and confidential service enables you to find out more about your medicines, find out if there are any problems and help you to understand how to take your medicines in the best way. They are particularly useful if you are on lots of medicines or are taking them long term. The Discharge Medicines Review service is for people who have recently been in hospital and is an opportunity for you to ask the pharmacist about any changes that have been made to your medicines and make sure that you know what to take, when to take it, what it’s for and how to use it. 

Stop Smoking Service:

If you are thinking about giving up smoking you can ask your pharmacist for help as they can give you expert advice on the products available. In most pharmacies there is a free NHS Help Me Quit Service where you can get free advice and support, as well as free medicines, to help you stop smoking. If your local pharmacy does not provide this service contact Help Me Quit for more information and to find out where your nearest service is available. 

Emergency Contraception – ‘Morning After Pill’:

If you have had sex without using contraception, or you think your contraception may have failed, you may be able to use emergency contraception (known by some people as the morning after pill). You can get advice and, if you need it, they can give you the pill in your local NHS pharmacy – just walk in and ask to speak to the pharmacist. They will have a quick chat with you first, to make sure you can take this medicine safely and that you understand what to do if it doesn’t work. This is done in private and everything you say is confidential, so there is no need to worry that others will hear. The emergency contraceptive pills that they use work for up to 5 days after sex, depending on the circumstances, but the earlier you take it, the more effective they are to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. This NHS service is free of charge from participating pharmacies.

Minor illness and other health enquiries

Your local NHS pharmacy is the ideal first point of contact for patients with common ailments and other health enquiries. Anyone can see the pharmacist for advice without an appointment and most now have a private consultation room that you can use to keep your discussion confidential. You can get advice and treatment on a wide range of common ailments, buying medicines over-the-counter, or in some cases, the pharmacist can provide treatment for free on the NHS. A wider range of medicines are now available without a prescription, and some pharmacists can even give you a prescription to help, so before you book an appointment with your doctor why not pop into your local NHS pharmacy and see if they can help you. 

Typical conditions that your local NHS pharmacy can help you with are:

  • Sore throat
  • Hayfever
  • Skin problems
  • Stomach problems
  • Head lice
  • Common childhood problems like nappy rash or chicken pox

Sharps boxes

Do you inject your medicines at home and have a sharps bin (yellow bin, with a yellow or purple lid)? Your local NHS pharmacy can take the full bins off you and give you an empty bin to save you having to go to your GP, or the hospital.

Emergency supply of medicines

If you have run out of your regular medicines and your GP practice is closed, your local NHS pharmacy may be able to give you some medicines to make sure you don’t go without.

Flu vaccination

If you are eligible for a flu jab, you may be able to get this done at your local NHS pharmacy. Just call the pharmacy, or drop in, and ask for more details.

These services are available in most pharmacies – please check with the individual pharmacy which services they provide.