Hypertension is the foremost risk factor for cardiovascular events globally and affects around a third of adults.

High blood pressure can affect people of all ages but does not always have symptoms. Untreated, high blood pressure may lead to conditions like heart disease or a stroke.

Monitoring your blood pressure for 24 hours can help work out if its consistently high. This would be particularly useful if you:

• Have family members with a history of high blood pressure.
• Suspect you have high or borderline high blood pressure.
• Experience variable blood pressure.
• Have conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
• Already take medicines to reduce your blood pressure.
• Experience blood pressure that is hard to control.
• Want to check for Atrial Fibrillation (irregular heartbeat).

For convenience and proximity reasons, community pharmacies play an increasingly important role in hypertension screening and monitoring.

Our service involves fitting you with a device to wear, which includes a cuff around your arm that will measure your blood pressure for 24 hours.

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic mm Hg (upper number)		Diastolic mm Hg (lower number)
Normal	Less than 120	and	Less than 80
Elevated	120-129	and	Less than 80
High Blood Pressure – Hypertension Stage 1	130-139	or	80-89
High Blood Pressure – Hypertension Stage 2	Higher than 140	or	Higher than 90
Hypertensive Crisis	Higher than 180	and/or	Higher than 120

A blood sugar test is used to test people for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a condition characterised by high blood sugar (glucose) levels. It is caused by a lack or insufficiency of insulin which regulates the way glucose is used in your body.

You should consider a blood sugar test if you experience symptoms of diabetes such as

• Constantly feeling thirsty or hungry
• Unexplained weight loss
• Frequent urination
• Blurry vision
• Extreme fatigue

This is especially the case if you any of the risk factors apply to you including being overweight, family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, over 40 years old or high cholesterol.

The American Diabetes Association recommends testing for prediabetes and risk for future diabetes for all people beginning at age 45 years. If tests are normal, it is reasonable to repeat testing at a minimum of 3-year intervals.

Blood Sugar Testing Fee: €5

A person’s BMI, or body mass index, is one way of measuring whether you are a healthy weight for your height. Body Mass Index is calculated using a person’s weight in kilograms (kg) divided by the square of height in meters (m2).

Initially used as a statistical index of health and weight for a population group, BMI can be used to show the weight categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. Nonetheless, your BMI is a good indication of whether you are a healthy weight, and if not, how over or underweight you are.

BMI	Classification
Less than 18.5	Underweight
18.5 - 24.9	Normal Weight
25 - 29.9	Overweight
Over 30	Obese

Obesity is currently a worldwide problem, with overweight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) estimated at 35% and 12% of the overall adult population, respectively.

We can assist with weight loss steps by evaluating potential obesity-related diseases; obtaining a weight history, identifying patient triggers and screening for medications that may influence weight gain. Plus, we can evaluate and track weight and height in calculating your body mass index (BMI).

Now available in our pharmacy, the new Common Conditions Service makes it faster and easier for you and your family to get safe, evidence‑based treatment for everyday health problems instead of waiting for a GP appointment.

Conditions our pharmacists can help with:

Our trained prescribing pharmacists can assess symptoms and, where appropriate, provide a prescription for:

 

• Conjunctivitis (eye infection)
• Impetigo (bacterial skin infection)
• Oral thrush
• Cold sores
• Allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis (hay fever–type symptoms)
• Uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (cystitis) in non‑pregnant women aged 16–64
• Vulvovaginal thrush in females aged 16–60
• Shingles (herpes zoster) in adults, within defined time windows from rash onset.

This service is offered to help you gain more convenient access to a prescriber for certain common conditions and is being rolled out nationally to help reduce the demand for GP services.

Standard medication costs will apply. Prescribed medicines for common conditions services are included in the various government support schemes such as Drug Payment, Medical Card and Long Term Illness schemes.  

The pharmacist consultation fee is €25.
If the pharmacist determines that a medicine is appropriate, they can prescribe it for you.
An additional charge may apply for any medicines supplied.

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are strongly recommended to protect people from serious illness caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus).  ,

People are being administered adapted booster vaccines. Adapted vaccines are bivalent and contain mRNA based on the spike protein of the ancestral virus, as in the original vaccine, as well as mRNA based on the spike protein of the variant strain. As such they are adapted to better match circulating variants and are expected to give broader protection against different variants, although their impact on future variants is unpredictable

From late 2023 onwards, the HSE has adopting a seasonal approach to COVID vaccines offering  COVID booster vaccines in autumn 2023 followed by a spring 2024 campaign. 

Cohorts and priorities change frequently, but generally the HSE prioritises older people, those living in long-term care facilities or those aged 5 years and older with immunocompromise associated with a suboptimal response to vaccination.

Emergency Hormonal Contraception (morning after pill) can be used to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

An unplanned pregnancy could occur due to mishaps with contraceptives, a missed pill, incorrect timing of patch or vaginal ring application.

Emergency contraception is not suitable as a regular method of contraception and it does not prevent pregnancy in every woman. It can be used by women of all ages to prevent unplanned pregnancy.

Emergency contraception is most effective if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex.

However, if you are already pregnant, emergency contraceptive pills will not work.

Medical card holders can get emergency contraception directly from a pharmacy, free of charge, without having to go to their GP for a prescription.

Emergency contraception does not provide protection from sexually transmitted infections.

Our compassionate pharmacists provide access to emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) following a private consultation.

Seasonal flu or influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by flu viruses which circulate in all parts of the world.
Seasonal flu symptoms include a high temperature, a severe (usually dry) cough, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, sore throat, and a runny nose. A person with the flu will also feel extremely unwell.

Most people recover from the symptoms within a week or two without requiring medical attention. But flu can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk (see below).

Illnesses range from mild to severe and even death. Hospitalisation and death occur mainly among high-risk groups.

The most effective way to prevent the flu is get vaccinated. An annual vaccination is recommended as immunity decreases over time. The flu vaccine can be administered as an injection or using an intra-nasal spray.

  While everyone should consider getting a flu vaccine, it is especially important that the following groups get vaccinated:

 

• Persons aged 60 years and older.
• Persons with a chronic illness requiring regular follow-up, e.g. chronic respiratory disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, moderate or severe asthma and bronchopulmonary dysplasia), chronic heart disease (including acute coronary syndrome), chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, haemoglobinopathies, chronic liver disease, chronic neurological disease (including multiple sclerosis, hereditary and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system).
• Those who are immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment including those with missing or non-functioning spleens.
• All cancer patients.
• Patients with any condition that can compromise respiratory function, e.g. spinal cord injury, seizure disorder or other neuromuscular disorder.
• Persons with Down syndrome.
• Those with morbid obesity, i.e. body mass index over 40.
• All pregnant women (vaccine can be given at any stage of pregnancy).
• Healthcare workers.
• Household contacts of at-risk persons.
• Out-of-home care givers to at-risk persons.
• Residents of nursing homes and other long stay institutions.
• Carers.
• People with regular contact with pigs, poultry, or waterfowl.

Using our instant digital photo equipment, we can offer the following professional photo services.

• Passport Photos (Standard & Online)
• Driving License Photos
• PSV License Photos
• American Passports and Other Nationalities
• Taxi License Photo
• Passport Photos for toddlers (2yrs plus) & children
• Garda ID Photos

Taxi License Photos
We print passport-style photographs, each measuring 10cm by 7cm as per taxi driver license requirements, showing your head and shoulders and complying with standards for passport photographs.

Passport Photos (Standard & Online)
We print and check that developed photos meet all requirements of the Irish Passport Office, both for print and online versions.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. The pain associated with shingles can be very intense and is usually the 1st symptom.

The rash most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around your torso. However, the shingles rash can also appear around the eyes, neck, or face.

If a rash appears around the eye, you must quickly seek professional medical attention to avoid long term damage (to the eye).

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes Chickenpox. Anyone who suffered from chickenpox can develop shingles.

However not everybody does and why shingles develops in some people and not others remain unclear. Shingles tends to be more common in older adults or people with a weakened immune system.

The virus that causes shingles is contagious causing chickenpox in people who have previously not had the infection.

Getting vaccinated does not guarantee you will not get Shingles, but the vaccine will likely reduce the course and severity of the infection.

Every year in Ireland, nearly 6,000 people die because of smoking with many more suffering from smoking related diseases. The HSE estimates that 1,000 people are admitted to hospital every week with an illness caused by smoking.

In our pharmacy, we help smokers break nicotine addiction by recommending Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). NRT comes in many different forms including patches and gums. It is important that the right option is chosen to suit individual needs.

Evidence has shown that if a smoker participates in a smoking cessation service that combines advice, support, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy that the smoker is 4 times more likely to quit compared to using willpower alone.

Methadone is a Schedule 2 controlled substance which is used in the treatment of opioid addiction as substitution or maintenance therapy. The service is provided within a broader treatment protocol, accompanied by regular reviews and reassessment.

We ensure that patients using our service have all information and advice necessary for the proper use of the drug. This includes general information about methadone, directions of use, common side effects, actions to be taken if a dose is missed, and interactions with alcohol and other drugs.

The ingestion of methadone occurs in our private consultation room and is supervised by a pharmacist.

The delivery of patient care and pharmacy services to patients residing in residential care and nursing homes is a primary patient safety and professional practice issue. As pharmacists, we play an ongoing role in the healthcare team caring for nursing home and residential care patients, particularly in ensuring safe and appropriate supply and management of medicines.

Our SOPs set out the requirements involved in the sale and supply of medicines to patients who are living in residential care settings/nursing homes. Our SOPs adhere to the PSI guidelines which outline several interactions between pharmacies and nursing home / care facilities relating to the importance of prescriptions, mandatory review of prescribed medicines, patient counselling the appropriate delivery of medicines.

Our pharmacists are also available to participate in an interdisciplinary review of each patient on long-term medication. HIQA recommends this is complete at least every three months.

According to the HSE, obesity levels in Ireland have reached “epidemic proportions” and affect up to a fifth of all adults and result in 2,000 premature deaths annually.

Weight management means maintaining a healthy body weight. Body weight can affect health in many ways. Being overweight can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other cardiovascular problems.

If people maintain a healthy weight, this will decrease the risk of developing these problems. In addition to improve general health, losing weight can help to increase levels of confidence and make people feel better.

If people are serious about losing weight, we could help reach the goal, with the support of a highly trained healthcare professional on hand for information, advice, and encouragement.

We are here to help you figure out what direction is best for you as there is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ weight management product or programme.