Pharmacies Can Issue Uti Drugs Without Gp Visit

A female who has endured nan symptom of urinary tract infections (UTIs) each her big life has welcomed nan news that 99% of pharmacies successful Wales will now capable to dainty nan information without a sojourn to nan GP.

Sian Jones, 72, has suffered from recurrent "debilitating" urinary tract infections for much than 50 years, and has mislaid 2 premature babies arsenic a result.

"Imagine, connected a Friday afternoon, having a urine infection, and you've sewage to hold till Monday to spot a GP - if you're fortunate - to person an appointment," she said. "I deliberation this will beryllium an fantabulous measurement forward."

The caller drugstore work only applies to women aged betwixt 16-64, owed to nan complexity of treating chronic UTIs successful aged age.

Ms Jones, from nan Vale of Glamorgan, says she was calved "with a defect successful my kidneys" and has suffered pinch UTIs each different period since she was 18 years old.

"I had problems successful pregnancy; I had 2 premature babies because of nan measurement my kidneys were and my UTIs. It's conscionable thing I've had to strengthen each my life."

She said nan caller measures, which let pharmacies to rumor medicine independently, "wouldn't thief me" - because she is complete 70 - "but if it helps anybody aft nan property of 16 to 64, I deliberation it'd beryllium welcomed."

"When I person a UTI, I cognize I'm hopeless - I can't do anything," Ms Jones previously told nan BBC.

She said she tries to support healthy, and self-medicate pinch cranberry juice and vitamins, but often needs medicine to get better.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast connected Thursday, she said: "After 3 days [trying to negociate nan pain], you get nan bearing-down emotion and nan symptom successful your back, and you cognize that it's a full-on UTI, and you person to entree your GP".

She said she has learned to unrecorded pinch it "over and complete again", but describes it arsenic "so debilitating".

"It's 1 of those things, unfortunately, arsenic women that we person to endure."

Lowri Puw, a 31-year-old pharmacist successful Caernarfon - and a personnel of Welsh Pharmacy Board - said giving much work to pharmacists was "fantastic news", allowing much patients to entree UTI medicine successful a "timely manner, truthful nan infection doesn't get worse".

She recommends calling up to make an appointment, to debar unnecessary trips to nan pharmacy.

She said nan work was for women only, arsenic UTIs successful men are uncommon - and "if a man does get a bacterial infection, a GP would request to do humor tests to make judge location is nary consequence of prostate cancer".

And she said it was important to workout be aware astir UTI prescriptions for older women.

"As women get older - and if they person much chronic recurrent urinary infections - nan infection is much apt to go resistant to nan antibiotics that we would usually prescribe.

"So successful those cases, nan sample would request to beryllium sent disconnected to nan microbiology laboratory earlier curen is started - conscionable to make judge that we're treating nan correct bugs."

"The past point you'd want is for you to beryllium getting nan incorrect treatment, and it gets worse arsenic opposed to being getting better."

However, while welcoming nan move to drugstore care, Ms Puw warned it was basal to "make judge location is backing successful spot to upskill" staff, adding organization drugstore teams were already "overstretched".

Community Pharmacy Wales is understood to beryllium successful "talks pinch nan Welsh authorities connected that front".

According to nan NHS, signs of a UTI whitethorn include:

• pain aliases a burning sensation erstwhile peeing (dysuria)
• needing to pee much often than usual
• needing to pee much often than accustomed during nan nighttime (nocturia)
• needing to pee abruptly aliases much urgently than usual
• pee that looks cloudy
• blood successful your pee
• lower tummy symptom aliases symptom successful your back, conscionable nether nan ribs
• a precocious temperature, aliases emotion basking aliases cold, and feverish
• a very debased somesthesia beneath 36C
• feeling tired aliases weak
• pee whitethorn besides beryllium acheronian aliases smell. However, if this is your only symptom, it mightiness beryllium because you've not been drinking capable water.