Dosette boxes, also known as ‘trays’, ‘blister packs’ or ‘multi-compartment compliance aids’ are containers which have separate compartments for days of the week and times of the day and can assist people with taking their medicines.

It's estimated that nearly 50 percent of medicines are not taken as intended. This can be for a number of reasons – older people living alone may forget to take their prescription medication from time to time or risk taking a double dose if they can’t remember whether they’ve already taken it.

It may also be difficult for some people to take the correct pills if they are in similar boxes or are the same shape or colour. If someone is living with memory problems, or gets assistance from family with their medication, pills may get misplaced too.

Dosette boxes can help by organising daily and weekly medicines to make it easier to take them correctly, and at the right time of day. If you have an older loved one, it can also provide peace of mind and help you keep track of their daily doses.

A care worker who can give medication, may only administer tablets from a sealed, blister pack dosette that has been dispensed by a pharmacy team, rather than one you’ve organised yourself. This is to reduce the risk of administering the wrong medication if it’s been placed in the wrong compartment. Some over the counter medications shouldn’t be taken with certain prescription drugs either, so only assisting with medication from a sealed dosette can reduce the risk of this happening too.

Many GP surgeries will arrange for the patient's prescriptions to be sent as a weekly prescription, in which case Saville chemist will provide the weekly dosette boxes at no extra cost to the patient. However if the GP surgery protocol won't allow for weekly prescriptions then the service will incur a charge of £5 per month, (this will cover the cost of preparation and materials).

The Pharmacy First service, which commenced on 31st January 2024, is a crucial first step in recognising and properly funding the enormous amount of healthcare advice that community pharmacies provide to the public every day and in establishing and funding community pharmacy as the first port of call for healthcare advice.

What does the service involve?

The Advanced service involves pharmacists providing advice and NHS-funded treatment, where clinically appropriate, for seven common conditions (age restrictions apply):

Consultations for these seven clinical pathways can be provided to patients presenting to the pharmacy as well as those referred electronically by NHS 111, general practices and others.

The service also incorporates the elements of the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, i.e. minor illness consultations with a pharmacist and the supply of urgent medicines (and appliances), both following an electronic referral from NHS 111, general practices (urgent supply referrals are not allowed from general practices) and other authorised healthcare providers (i.e. patients are not able to present to the pharmacy without an electronic referral).

In the clinical pathway consultations with a pharmacist, people with symptoms suggestive of the seven conditions will be provided with advice and will be supplied, where clinically necessary, with a prescription-only treatment under a Patient Group Direction (PGD) or in one pathway, an over-the-counter medicine (supplied under a clinical protocol), all at NHS expense.

Erectile dysfunction service for men:

Erectile dysfunction is a common condition for men of all ages. Although it’s a topic most men find difficult to confront, there are multiple effective treatments available which Pharmadoctor can help you access. You can now get convenient, personalised help from a local pharmacist without the need for a GP appointment. The service is for men 18 years of age or over and allows the sale of Sildenafil, Vardenafil or Tadalafil (depending on your requirements). The cost of the tablets is cheaper (and in certain cases a higher strength) than the brands like viagra over the counter. Enquire in-store.

Period delay

Sometimes women may want to delay their period, whether for a special day or event such as a wedding, a holiday or a religious pilgrimage such as Hajj or Umrah. For women not taking hormonal contraception, norethisterone (a synthetic version of progesterone) is an effective medication for delaying the onset of menstruation. The cost of the service is £15 for a pack of 30 tablets, this will allow you to delay your period for a week (tablets can be bought for upto 2 weeks). Terms and exclusions apply, enquire in-store.

Respiratory service:

The respiratory service is a great option for patients (over the age of 16) who have previously been diagnosed with Asthma, to buy a salbutamol 100mcg inhaler in emergencies. This can be for patients who are on holiday from other countries, patients who are away from home, patients new to the surrounding areas, or for patients who are in desperate need of a salbutamol inhaler to prevent an asthma attack. The cost of the service is £10, enquire in-store.

A free blood pressure service primarily for patients above the age of 40, or under the age of 40 for certain applicable patients.

The service aims to:

• Identify people aged 40 years or older, or at the discretion of pharmacy staff, people under the age of 40, with high blood pressure (who have previously not had a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension), and to refer them to general practice to confirm diagnosis and for appropriate management.
• At the request of a general practice, undertake ad hoc clinic and ambulatory blood pressure measurements. These requests can be in relation to people either with or without a diagnosis of hypertension.
• Provide another opportunity to promote healthy behaviours to patients.

We provide a safe and easy microsuction service within the pharmacy on a Friday afternoon. The healthcare specialist will provide a free ear health-check and will inform the patient on any work which is required. For one ear the cost will be £35 and for two ears it will be £65. Bookings are required either on the phone or within the pharmacy. Please apply some olive oil eardrops within the ear a few days prior to your appointment in order for the service to be as comfortable and effective as possible.

We are providing a delivery service for medications (and over the counter medications if required, please make enquiries for payment on the phone), The service is only within the surrounding areas, around North Harrow, Rayners Lane, Headstone Lane, and Pinner road (towards Harrow on the Hill). New requests for deliveries will incur a £2 delivery charge (payable via payment link through SMS).

At Saville chemist we are able to provide professional, high quality passport photos for your various requirements. Whether that be for passports, ID cards, bus pass, driving license, OCI cards, international passports and others. Our photos are taken in store and checked against the standard requirements. Photos can be either hard copies or digital (or both if required).

• Passport photos: 6 photos for £5 (young children cost extra)
• Digital photos: 1 code for £4
• OCI photos: 2 photos for £5 (2 x 2 inches)