HEALTH chiefs have asked people to make the most of their pharmacy.

The call comes during ‘Ask Your Pharmacist’ week which has been launched across East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

The national initiative aims to raise awareness of the services on offer in pharmacies to help people stay well during the winter months.

People can make ‘unnecessary’ trips to the GP or even A&E, when a pharmacist could help instead, according to health chiefs.

They said that a lot of people are not aware of the range of other healthcare services on offer in chemists.

Dr Preeti Shukla, clinical lead at Blackburn with Darwen CCG, said: “Pharmacists are the experts in medicine and already give advice on a range of minor conditions.

“People often don’t seek advice for their wheezes, coughs and sneezes because they don’t think it’s serious enough, or they don’t want to waste their pharmacist’s time.

“But no problem is too small for your local pharmacist, who is a highly trained and trusted source of health advice.”

To find your nearest pharmacy, visit www.nhs.uk.