Boots has launched a private chest infection service across 90 of its UK stores.
It said last week that the service, available to those over the age of 16, provides patients with a 20-minute appointment during which “an independent prescribing pharmacist will assess symptoms, provide advice and discuss available treatment options which may include over-the-counter medication and a course of antibiotics, if appropriate”.
Read more: Boots and PDA agree 3.4% pay rise for pharmacists
The service costs £25 per consultation, with any prescribed medicines or over-the-counter products charged separately.
Boots said the service has been rolled out as the UK enters cold and flu season, where “respiratory infections become increasingly common”.
Groups at higher risk
Boots superintendent pharmacist Claire Nevison said the new service “provides customers with convenient access to advice, support and treatment right on the high street”.
“As we enter the winter season, we are more exposed to germs as people spend more time indoors and in close proximity to others. This helps viruses spread easily through close contact, resulting in symptoms such as coughs,” she added.
And she warned that “certain groups of people have a higher risk of developing serious chest infections”, including babies and young children, elderly people, pregnant women, smokers, people with long-term respiratory conditions and those with a weakened immune system.
Read more: Boots sold for £6.7bn to ex-Selfridges owners
It comes after Boots and the Pharmacists’ Defence Association agreed a 3.4% pay rise for Boots employees across a range of pharmacy roles, including pharmacists, pharmacist store managers and independent prescribers, from November 1.
And it follows Boots being sold for £6.7bn earlier this month to the Canadian Weston family, who previously owned Selfridges.
