Show Notes
In this episode we discuss the important role that community pharmacists (CPs) play in everyday frontline healthcare. To help us take a deep dive into this multifaceted role we were delighted to be joined by Rebecca Wicks, a clinical Pharmacist who specialises in Menopause & Lifestyle Medicine. After listening to this episode you’ll realise why, at the start, we mentioned that the praises of these multitasking ‘ninjas’ are not sung nearly enough! There’s so much going on behind the scenes, which many will be unaware of, from dispensing, supporting staff, checking prescriptions, managing orders flying in, to then coping with the ever-increasing walk-ins seeking advice and information. Being easily accessible they can often be the first point of call resulting in a relentless juggling act trying to meet patient’s expectations alongside constantly trying to full fill their own. We cover what should be your reasonable expectations from a local pharmacy taking into account the natural disparity between pharmacies across the country. Menopause - wise, (at time of recording), within NHS run pharmacies there are no renumerated Menopause services. You will, however, often find pharmacists going the extra mile to provide information and options for managing symptoms. We clarify the difference between CPs & Practice Pharmacists. We revisit the ever-expanding minefield of the supplement industry and what about HRT reviews? Listen to realise the knock on effects which pharmacies experienced nationally when there was a sudden surge in raised awareness and requests for HRT. Absolutely fantastic to raise awareness but unfortunately resulted in triggering an unprecedented reaction for those working on the frontline…maybe a small nod in the direction of a collaborative conversation wouldn’t go amiss in future! By the end of this episode we hope you come away with a newfound respect for the role that CPs play as trusted health advisors and providers within our communities and a realisation that things like shortages of medications can be just as frustrating for them as for patients. As always an interesting listen and if you’re a CP seeking further training within the area of Women’s Health, we cover that too! Finally, listen out for our “nugget of knowledge”, with some important advice that is more relevant today than ever before! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Menopause Matters, Let’s Talk
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This episode is well worth a listen - it gives clarity about gaining the right research, how to get it, why that is so important and what would ‘gold standard research’ look like… We chat about why you should only seek evidenced based, trusted information - we direct you to the right places you can find it. This is becoming an increasing challenge for every woman when we have social media platforms that are swamped with misinformation. We invited the fabulous Dr Paula Briggs, a consultant in sexual and reproductive health, to help us with our discussions and also had an interesting conversation about the new non-hormonal drugs which are soon to become available to help with vasomotor symptoms; what are they and how do they work. As always we have an interesting nugget of knowledge…happy listening. Guest: Dr Paula Briggs. Paula is a Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health based at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. She is an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Liverpool and Immediate Past Chair of the British Menopause Society. She is devoted to delivery of women’s health care, research and education. Her main interest is menopause management with a particular interest in urogenital atrophy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The day we released this podcast was World Osteoporosis Day – a great reminder to stop, think about the health of your bones and find out more about osteoporosis. To help guide us through this important topic we were delighted to be joined by Ruth Wakeman, Director of services at The Royal Osteoporosis Society. There was a lot to chat about… Do you know when you reach peak bone mineral density? Because we can’t see and feel our bones, why should we all be thinking about what our bones are up to and our long term health? And how do you find out what your bones are up to. What’s the connection between menopause and bone health? Is there a greater risk of fractures after menopause and what can we do to help prevent them. Importantly - do you know how to look after your bone health - how to keep your bones strong and healthy?Listen to find out many of the answers you need about bone health, osteoporosis and where to find the Great British Bone Checker…now what’s that all about… happy listening!
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