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A new support service to help consumers use over-the-counter
(OTC) medicines correctly is being launched today by
the Consumer Health Information Centre (CHIC).
The service provides an education leaflet and advice
line. The key objective is to provide consumers with
an information resource which is dedicated to giving
advice on using OTC medicines.
The services also aims to:
- encourage the safe and effective use of OTC medicines
- increase confidence in the safety and efficacy of
OTC
medicines
- provide support to potential misusers of OTC medicines.
The education leaflet highlights the availability of
the new over-the-counter medicines advice line. The
advice line is run by a medical charity, the Medical
Advisory Service which employs nurses who are disabled
through illness or work injury.
The nurses will give advice on queries relating to
usage, storage and interactions of different OTC medicines.
They will also be able to give broader advice relating
to a caller's illness - and will be able to discuss
with the caller which types of OTC medicines would be
suitable for them.
This service gives people another way of getting advice
if they are not able to talk to their pharmacist or
GP.
Dr Ian Banks, CHIC Advisor says, "This new service
is important for the many of us that might have questions
about medication that we buy from a pharmacy. This advice
line has been launched as a source of information dedicated
to the many over-the-counter medicines that people take
for a range of health conditions. We hope this service
will help ensure that people are using OTC medicines
in the safest and most effective way possible."
Kathleen McGrath from the Medical Advisory Service
(MAS) says "The nurses involved have years of experience
in answering advice lines. They will be able to offer
immediate advice on queries, or if the caller has a
more complex problem, the nurse taking the call will
be able to offer a call back counselling service.
"All calls will be monitored, and the MAS will
only stop the call back service when the nurse is certain
that the caller has received all the help they need
or has been successfully referred on to a specialist
support service."
A million leaflets have been distributed to pharmacists
across the UK. Pharmacists are being encouraged to put
the leaflet on self-selection or into the bags of customers
they feel could benefit from the information.
CHIC is an information service run by the Proprietary
Association of Great Britain (PAGB) to help people understand
and treat everyday healthcare problems.
The advice line is open from 10am - 3pm Monday to Fridays
and calls are charged
at standard national rate. The number is 020 8742 7042.
Copies of the leaflet "Getting
the best from the medicines you buy" can also
be downloaded from here
For further information please contact:
Sophie
Taylor-Roberts on 020 7761 1786
Cait Woodward
on 020 7761 1716
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