HEALTH bosses are urging the public to use pharmacies to deal with a range of common medical problems — and save the NHS cash.

The message is part of the ongoing “care about the cost” campaign by NHS Bury, the primary care trust (PCT) which oversees local health services.

Bosses want to reduce spending by £1 million a year, the amount the organisation spends every 12 months as a result of unnecessary visits by people to accident and emergency units. The PCT has been raising awareness about the range of health services available, and is now pushing what pharmacies can offer, many of which have extended opening hours.

As well as the usual prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, they provide medicine reviews, emergency contraception, smoking cessation services, chlamydia screening and more.

Prestwich Pharmacy, in the Longfield Centre, Prestwich, is one such pharmacy.

Superintendent pharmacist, Mike Williams, said: “You can walk into a pharmacy and ask to speak to a pharmacist, who can offer advice or point you in the right direction.

“The beauty of pharmacies is you often have them nearby; there are many to choose from and they have long opening hours.

“For the vast majority of people that we see, we are in a position to help them or, if not, we can definitely point them the right way. There is more to pharmacies than people think.”

People can contact their local pharmacy to find out about its services and opening times.