Lloydspharmacy reveals over 11 million Britons risking health by taking old medicines

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:07:29 GMT

Lloydspharmacy, the community pharmacy chain, has revealed that one in four* (24%) of the population in Great Britain - or 11 million** adults - has taken or applied medicines which they later discovered were out of date.

Lloydspharmacy found that more than half (53%) of people do not always check the expiry date of medicines before taking them or giving them to a family member.

This is worrying considering that nearly one in six people (17%) never clear out their medicine cabinets. It presents the risk of expired medicines being used when they are no longer deemed safe. Many medicines become ineffective when they pass their expiry date and could also cause harm if they are taken by someone they were not intended for.

And they don't just pose a risk to the public's health. The annual cost to the NHS in unused medicines in the UK is around £396million*** so it's important that medicines are managed effectively.

Additionally, nearly half (49%) the population do not throw away their out of date medicines correctly, either putting them in the bin, pouring them down the toilet or sink or simply keeping them in their medicine cabinet when they should be taken to a pharmacy or chemist to be disposed of safely.

Lloydspharmacy is running a 'medicines amnesty' in all of its 1,650 pharmacies where people can take in their old prescription or medicines to be disposed of properly****. For those who are on repeat prescriptions, the pharmacist can undertake a free Medicine Check Up***** to help manage medications and offer advice on how to reduce wastage.

Melinda Setanoians, prescribing pharmacist at Lloydspharmacy, says: "Taking out of date medicines is not advisable. At the very least, they might not be as effective as usual. For example, you wouldn’t want to take an old cholesterol lowering medicine which may not be effective - and an old, less reliable insulin pen used to treat diabetes could be dangerous as it may not provide the dose that is intended. If you use an out of date ointment, spray or cream there is a risk of high bacteria levels in the bottle or tube. Next time you're popping to the shops, bring your old and unused medicines to your local Lloydspharmacy so we can dispose of them safely."

Notes to editors:
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from ICM. Total sample size was 2031 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th - 14th February 2011. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). Research does not include Northern Ireland.
**Exact figure 47,358,000. Taken as a percentage of the overall Great Britain population (60,003,100) from the Office of National Statistics
***Source: A report by the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London in 2010, which showed unused prescription medicines cost the NHS in England at least £300 million with at least 50 per cent avoidable.
****Lloydspharmacy cannot accept needles, syringes or other sharps, chemicals, veterinary products, pesticides or other garden chemicals, paints, solvents and oils, dialysis kits and anything else that is not a medicine
*****Applicable for patients who are taking more than one medication and have at least three months of records with the pharmacy. Not available in Scotland, NI and Channel Islands

About Lloydspharmacy:
Lloydspharmacy has over 1650 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 151 million prescription items annually and also offers an online doctor service and products to assist in the aid of many different ailments including the tens machine which provides pain relief by delivering electrical pulses to the body via electrodes on the skin.

Lloydspharmacy appoints Tony Page as managing director

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:43:30 GMT

Lloydspharmacy has announced the appointment of Tony Page as managing director of the 1,650 strong community pharmacy chain.

Tony joins the organisation following a 23 year career in the retail sector, most recently in the role of commercial director for Lenta Ltd where he helped to lead the successful turnaround of one of Russia's leading hypermarkets. He has also held executive board positions at both Woolworths Plc and Asda, where he spent 13 years and worked alongside Allan Leighton and Archie Norman.

Speaking of his appointment, Dr Fritz Oesterle, chairman and CEO of Celesio, Lloydspharmacy's parent company, said: "Tony brings a wealth of experience to Lloydspharmacy and a passion for excellence in serving the customer. The UK healthcare market is undergoing a period of significant change and under Tony's leadership we intend to diversify our income and lead the sector as we build on our heritage of medicines dispensing, firmly establishing Lloydspharmacy as a leading healthcare provider."

Tony will join Lloydspharmacy on 21 February.

Commenting on his new role, Tony said: "I'm really excited about joining Lloydspharmacy. We're entering a new healthcare landscape and there are significant opportunities for a business like Lloydspharmacy which places the needs of all its customers at its heart. I look forward to leading the business as we embark on the next phase of our growth."

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has over 1650 chemist locations across the UK, employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 151 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy has primary care at the heart of its business. It has launched a range of products aimed at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional health check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and cholesterol test and heart check services in the comfort of a private consultation room. Lloydspharmacy also offers an online pharmacy and an online doctor on its website.

About Tony Page:
Tony Page has 23 years experience in the retail sector. He began his career at J Sainsbury plc, where he spent 6 years before joining Asda plc. Tony also spent two years as managing director for commercial at Woolworths plc. Most recently Tony has spent the last twelve months in the role of commercial director at Russian hypermarket chain Lenta Ltd, being a significant driver of change in the now thriving business.

Lloydspharmacy is recognised for its excellent customer service

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:42:54 GMT

Lloydspharmacy, the pharmacy retailer, has been recognised for its excellence in customer services following a recent nationwide customer satisfaction survey.

The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) awarded Lloydspharmacy second place in the Retail (non-food) sector behind John Lewis in the bi-annual UK Customer Satisfaction Index which is compiled from over 26,000 customer votes. The community pharmacy chain was ranked fifth overall, recognised as the best performing pharmacy in its sector.

According to the ICS's latest research the services sector is the highest improving category despite the current economic climate. The survey asked customers to rate organisations on key areas such as complaint handling, professionalism, quality, value for money, and the competence and friendliness of staff.

Steve Howard, superintendent pharmacist at Lloydspharmacy commented: "This is an absolutely fantastic result for Lloydspharmacy and we feel very proud to have achieved such high praise from our customers, reinforcing our ethos of putting the customer at the heart of everything we do. This clearly demonstrates that we are well on the way to achieving our aim of being chosen by our customers over other pharmacies."

The UK Customer Satisfaction Awards recognise organisations which implement the best customer service strategies in the UK. There are eleven categories in the awards, including four People's Choice awards, which are based on the twice-yearly UK Customer Satisfaction Index results.

About Lloydspharmacy:
Lloydspharmacy has over 1650 pharmacies across the UK, employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 151 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy has primary care at the heart of its business. It has launched a range of products aimed at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors, tens machine and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional health check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and cholesterol and heart checks in the comfort of a private consultation room. Lloydspharmacy also offers an online chemist and an online doctor.

Lloydspharmacy is ranked second in the Institute of Customer Service UK Customer Satisfaction Index in the Retail, Non-Food sector, just behind John Lewis.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart.

Notes to Editors:
The results for top performing companies in all sectors are freely available online at www.ukcsi.com.

Lloydspharmacy reveals couples beleaguered by monthly cramps

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:52:05 GMT

New research from Lloydspharmacy, reveals that whilst an overwhelming number of women suffer from menstrual cramps, male partners' sympathy levels at that time of the month appear to be lacking. Although 87% of men claim to be very or fairly compassionate, a quarter of women (25%) who have suffered discomfort with 'Mother Nature's gift' say their partners are unsympathetic.

The survey shows that period pain plagues nine in 10 women (89%) yet one in five (19%) has suffered in silence at home because of an unsympathetic partner. However it may be a case of actions speaking louder than words as, although many men claim to be considerate, nearly half (42%) admitted they try to stay out of their partner's way when 'aunt dot' comes to stay.

In light of this, it is unsurprising that one in six (16%) women said that period pain has resulted in an argument with their partner. This is especially true for those women who suffer severe pain every month, with:
- Nearly two thirds (61%) stating their period is extremely or very painful
- Half said they've been doubled over in pain
- One in five have been physically sick
- A quarter have taken sick leave from work

Melinda Setanoians, prescribing pharmacist at Lloydspharmacy, said: "Many women clearly suffer quite badly – so much so that it appears to be affecting the harmony of their relationships. There is a wide choice of painkillers available but some women prefer an alternative to medication or a way in which to supplement it. We are the only high street retailer in the UK to offer a highly effective, drug-free period pain reliever device. It uses TENS technology to ease pain, similar to the machines that people use for back pain and that women use in the early stages of childbirth."

The Lloydspharmacy Period Pain Reliever uses TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) technology to alleviate pain. It works by passing harmless electrical signals into the body to relieve pain by blocking the body's pain signals and stimulating the body to produce endorphins, people's own natural pain relief.

Approved by Action on Pain, the Lloydspharmacy Period Pain Reliever is small, discreet and lightweight, with the main unit clipping securely to clothing or underwear.

-Ends-

Notes to editors:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2157 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd - 25th October 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has an online pharmacy and online doctor as well as over 1650 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 151 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy study reveals worrying results on sexually transmitted infections

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:21:36 GMT

According to a new study of sexual health from Lloydspharmacy - 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women. Lloydspharmacy also found men were almost twice as likely to test positive for certain STIs such as chlamydia.

13% of men buying chlamydia tests from Lloydspharmacy’s Online Doctor tested positive compared to just six per cent of women.

The research from the community pharmacy chain also found that men are placing themselves at greater risk of picking up an STI with 13% of men having had unprotected sex with more than one person over the last five years, almost double that of women (7%).

With the research revealing that men are more reluctant to be tested but significantly more likely to test positive than women, the findings fuel concerns that men may be delaying testing until they are showing symptoms and that real rates of infection are significantly higher than reported.

Although men are less likely to have had a face-to-face consultation for an STI screen, according to Lloydspharmacy sales of tests online are split almost equally between men and women. This suggests that men prefer the anonymity of the online channel.

Through its Online Doctor service the community pharmacy chain has launched a postal Platinum Test for men which screens for five genital infections; genital Chlamydia, genital gonorrhoea, mycoplasma, ureaplasma and trichomonas. This confidential postal service allows men to be tested and if found to be positive, treated without the need to visit their GP.

"The lower rate of face-to-face testing and higher incidence of positive results amongst men suggests that many men may be waiting until they suspect they have an infection before getting themselves tested", said Clare Kerr, Lloydspharmacy's head of sexual health. "This is particularly worrying as many STIs don’t have any obvious symptoms, so men could be putting both themselves and their partners at risk by delaying tests."

"Embarrassment is a huge barrier to testing and so we hope that removing the need to see a GP or GUM clinic face-to-face will encourage men to test themselves regularly. We can provide accurate tests for a wide range of genital infections anonymously and discreetly through the Online Doctor."

References
Research conducted by ICM among 3001 adults over the weekend of 5-7 March 2010

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has around 1700 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 145 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy which is a community pharmacy has primary care at the heart of its business. This is why it has launched a range of products aimed at improving community health such as affordable blood pressure monitors and allergy relievers, as well as a suite of convenient professional health check services including free blood pressure and diabetes testing, and cholesterol and heart checks in the comfort of a private consultation room.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is one of the leading trading companies and service providers within the pharmaceutical market worldwide.

Lloydspharmacy reveals young women becoming more sexually active

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:55:29 GMT

According to new figures released by the sexual health team at Lloydspharmacy*, today's women have three times more sexual partners by the time they reach 24 than women of their grandmothers' generation had by the same age.

The sexual health team's results show that young women today have an average of 5.65 different sexual partners by the time they are 24. By contrast women of their grandmothers' generation had an average of 1.67 and women of their mothers' generation had 3.72 sexual partners by the same age.

Looking back over the decades since the War and the end of rations, the research shows that young women in the supposedly 'Swinging Sixties' had the least number of different sexual partners whilst young women in the 'Noughties' had the most.

Cancer Research UK statistics show that incidence rates of cervical cancer in women under the age of 25 have not decreased despite better screening**. Lloydspharmacy believes the increase in the number of sexual partners could be one reason why.

The last ten years have seen significant decreases in cervical cancer cases in women in older age groups but worryingly, diagnoses of the infection in women under the age of 25 have not followed the same trend**.

The community pharmacy chain is urging women of all age groups to get themselves protected against the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection and one of the major causes of cervical cancer***.

"HPV infections are very common, especially in younger people", said Clare Kerr, Lloydspharmacy's head of sexual health. "If you are sexually active the cervical cancer vaccinations is one of the most effective ways to prevent infection with high risk forms of HPV."

Women can receive cervical cancer vaccinations at 240 Lloydspharmacy branches throughout the UK. Other sexual health services available at Lloydpsharmacy branches or through the Online Doctor services on the website include genital Chlamydia and genital gonorrhea treatment.

Key research* insights for women between the ages of 18 and 24:
2000-2009 - women averaged over five different sexual partners, with 8% claiming to have had more than ten different partners
1990-1999 - women averaged under five different sexual partners
1980-1989 - 24% of women had three to five different sexual partners by the time they reached 24
1970-1979 - 24% of women had two to four different sexual partners by the age of 24
1960-1969 - almost 50 per cent had only one sexual partner by the age of 24

Notes to editors

References
* Research conducted by ICM among 3001 adults over the weekend of 6 - 7 February 2010
** Cancer Research UK. Cervical cancer - UK incidence statistics. 19 May 2009
*** Cancer Research UK. Cervical cancer risks and causes. 16 Oct 2009.

Lloydspharmacy unveil new health web tool

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:34:47 GMT

Lloydspharmacy has launched a new web tool which allows people to work out how many of their work colleagues is carrying a sexually transmitted disease, drinks too much alcohol or is depressed.

The ‘Chances Are…’ Health Calculator, developed by community pharmacy chain Lloydspharmacy, is designed to stimulate debate and make health risks more relevant by applying nationally representative data to the workplace.

"People have become rather de-sensitised to national statistics," said Andy Murdock, Governance and Pharmacy Relations Director of Lloydspharmacy. "When you hear that 15 per cent of the population is in danger of developing diabetes, it's a bit meaningless, but when you discover, for example, in an office of 50 people, eight will be pre-diabetic and 10 of the men will experience some form of erectile dysfunction after turning 40, you're more likely to sit up and take notice.

"That's why we have launched this online tool. We hope it will be used in workplaces up and down the country, get people talking and encourage them to think about their own risk factors and what they can do to reduce their chances of developing lifestyle related diseases."

The calculator asks visitors to provide information about the type of workplace they are employed in, along with the gender split and age profile of their workmates. It then raids its database to calculate how many colleagues have Chlamydia, how many men are likely to develop erectile dysfunction, how many are likely to suffer a stroke, how many have raised cholesterol, how many are hazardous drinkers and much more.

In many cases information is provided about the condition or the issue and guidance is provided about what can be done to reduce risk factors.

*** ENDS ***

The group is active in 28 countries and employs more than 45,000 people in its three divisions Patient and Consumer Solutions, Pharmacy Solutions and Manufacturer Solutions. Over 2,300 of Celesio’s own pharmacies, as part of Patient and Consumer Solutions, serve over 550,000 customers in seven countries every day.

Lloydspharmacy wishes customers a flu-less Christmas

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:30:50 GMT

Lloydspharmacy has announced that it has cut the price of its winter flu vaccinations by more than half price to encourage more people to protect themselves against the virus.

Recent research carried out by Lloydspharmacy found that take up for the vaccine has fallen this year*. This could be due to a misguided belief that the swine flu jab will protect against winter flu**. However, price may also be a factor as people cut back during the recession. At £5, the Lloydspharmacy winter flu vaccine is now the cheapest on the high street compared to Asda and Tesco which are both priced at £8.00.

Chris Frost, pharmacist and director at Lloydspharmacy, said: "Winter flu can be debilitating and in some cases lead to very serious health issues. By making the vaccines available in our pharmacies across the country we've already improved access. Now they're even more affordable we hope to have removed another barrier to people protecting themselves. The last thing anyone wants is to have flu over Christmas."

Seasonal flu is responsible for the deaths of about 8,000 people in the UK a year and tends to affect the more vulnerable or elderly people. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control forecast that the swine flu and seasonal flu strains could each claim 40,000 lives across Europe this winter.

People over the age of 65 qualify for a free NHS seasonal flu vaccination as do people with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Others are able to get themselves protected on the high street. Lloydspharmacy offers a seasonal flu vaccination service in 260 of its pharmacies.

## ENDS ##

Editor's notes
* Opinium Research conducted for Lloydsphamacry among 2007 people in the UK between 4-6th November 2009 found 54% of people aged 65+ had received the winter flu vaccine. In 2008 uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine among over 65s was 73.5%
** ICM Omnibus 'Flu' Vaccinations Survey 25-27th September 2009 among 1003 people found almost two in five people wrongly believe that the swine flu vaccine will also protect them against winter flu.

Lloydspharmacy warns not to rely on swine flu jab to protect against winter flu

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:08:24 GMT

Lloydspharmacy has warned that the number of people protecting themselves against seasonal flu has fallen this year, possibly the result of a misguided belief that the swine flu jab will protect against winter flu.

As of 6th November there had only been a 54% uptake in people aged 65 and over, and only 27% uptake by people aged 55 - 65 to date, of the seasonal flu vaccine*. This is a big reduction compared with the 73.5% uptake in 2008 by over the 65s and 73.9% in 2007**.

According to research*** conducted by Lloydspharmacy almost 40% of people wrongly believe that the swine flu vaccine will also protect them against seasonal flu. Even more worryingly, more than half (52%) of the over 65s - one of the groups most vulnerable to winter flu - thought they would be protected against both strains if they had had the swine flu vaccination.

People over the age of 65 qualify for a free NHS seasonal flu vaccination as do people with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, chronic liver disease, lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment) or removal of the spleen, or if they are a resident of a nursing or residential home. Anyone who is the main carer for an elderly or disabled person and whose wellbeing may be put at risk if the carer falls ill, is also eligible for a free vaccination from their GP.

Others who are not eligible for free NHS treatment can still have an online consultation with a doctor and be vaccinated at high street pharmacies for a fee of £5, with Lloydspharmacy offering a seasonal flu vaccination service in 260 of its pharmacies.

Seasonal flu is responsible for the deaths of about 8,000 people in the UK a year and tends to affect the more vulnerable or elderly people. Last week the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control forecast that the swine flu and seasonal flu strains could claim 40,000 lives each across Europe this winter.

The World Health Organisation has urged national governments to put in place plans to vaccinate at least 75 per cent of people most at risk of seasonal flu by 2010**.

"Whilst there is still time for vulnerable people to get themselves protected before late November (when the Winter flu season reaches its peak) we would certainly expect to see a higher uptake by this time of year," said Clare Kerr, head of clinical services at Lloydspharmacy.

*** ENDS ***

Editors notes
* Opinium Research conducted for Lloydspharmacy among 2007 UK adults 4 - 6th November 2009
** The Fifty-sixth World Health Assembly
*** ICM Omnibus ‘Flu’ Vaccinations Survey 25-27 September 2009 among 1003 people.

Notes to editors

About Lloydspharmacy:
Lloydspharmacy is a community pharmacy which has primary care at the heart of its business and has around 1700 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 17,000 staff and dispenses over 145 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is a leading international company which covers the spectrum of pharmaceutical trade and pharmaceutical-related services.

Lloydspharmacy makes travel health easier

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:52:57 GMT

Lloydspharmacy launches new travel clinics to help provide vaccines and malaria tablets, to help ensure travellers stay healthy.

More and more Brits are exploring the globe, however because there are so many things to think about when preparing to go abroad, too often health protection is left to the last minute or forgotten altogether, leading travellers to not be fully prepared for the health risks that the countries being visited potentially pose.

To assist travellers Lloydspharmacy has now launched a convenient one-stop travel service which not only advises which travel vaccines and anti malaria tablets are required for specific destinations, but also provides access to the medicines required with no need to visit a GP. The service is available at the firm's online pharmacy and in over 260 participating pharmacies across the UK.

Travellers can now log on to the online doctor service which will answer questions about their health specific to their travel destination. The answers are all submitted to and assessed by a qualified GP. Travellers are then informed about any suitable vaccines they will need as well as having the opportunity to purchase anti-malaria pills.

For vaccines the user can choose which ones they would like to be administered. The prescription for the vaccines will then be sent to one of 260 selected pharmacies where a trained member of staff can administer them in the privacy of a Lloydspharmacy consultation area. Anti-malarial pills can be either sent out by next day special delivery or collected in any one of 260 participating branches.

The vaccines currently available include: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and polio, tick borne encephalitis, typhoid, hepatitis a/typhoid combination.

Patients unable to access the online doctor can still have a travel consultation with a trained member of staff in any one of the participating pharmacies.

Lloydspharmacy hopes that the convenient nature of the service will mean that more people will be properly protected when travelling.

Through the online doctor, Lloydspharmacy also offers:
- Melatonin which can help travellers avoid and overcome jet lag when flying to a country where the time-difference is three or more hours ahead or behind the UK.
- Traveller's diarrhoea packs which contain an oral antibiotic that treats most bacterial causes of travellers' diarrhoea as well as oral rehydration sachets to help avoid dehydration.
- Advance supply of the emergency pill - invaluable if going on a long trip to countries where the morning after pill may not be available at short notice.

ENDS

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has around 1,700 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 15,000 staff and dispenses more than 133 million prescription items annually.

Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is the leading pharmaceutical distribution company in Europe and is represented in 16 countries. With its three divisions, Patient and Consumer Solutions, Pharmacy Solutions and Manufacturer Solutions, the group covers the entire scope of pharmaceutical trade and pharmaceutical-related services.

Lloydspharmacy online doctor launches online sexual partners calculator

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:32:03 GMT

According to new research released by Lloydspharmacy, the typical British adult has slept indirectly with 2,811,024 people*.

The leading community pharmacy chain has developed an online calculator** which allows people to work out the number of indirect sexual partners they have had.

The sexual partners calculator has been developed to help people understand the risks of unprotected sex. According to the Health Protection Agency***, cases of sexually transmitted infections rose last year by 0.5%, to 399,738 and cases of Chlamydia increased by eight per cent between 2006 and 2008.

The average British man claims to have had nine sexual partners while the average women claims 6.3 partners, giving an overall average of 7.65. However, as the new calculator demonstrates, they are potentially exposed to the sexually transmitted diseases of hundreds of thousands of others.

The calculator, which uses data collected from more than 6,000 UK adults, is called Sex Degrees of Separation, a reference to the famous theory first proposed by Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy which states that no one person is more than six steps removed from another.

When people enter the age range of each partner, the calculator raids its database to work out how many previous sexual partners people within that age range have had on average. It then repeats this process for five further ‘generations' of partner. This is added together to give a Sex Degrees of Separation total.

The launch of the calculator coincides with the introduction of Lloydspharmacy's Relationship Screen, an online postal service which allows people and their partners to have a Chlamydia test - the most common STI in the UK - Gonorrhoea test and HIV test before committing to full intimacy.

Clare Kerr, head of sexual health at Lloydspharmacy said: "When we sleep with someone, we are, in effect, not only sleeping with them, but also their previous partners and their partners' previous partners, and so on. It's important that people understand how exposed they are to STIs and take appropriate precautions including using condoms and getting themselves checked out where appropriate.

"A simple sexual health test will give both partners in a relationship peace of mind. The majority of STIs are easy to rectify, but if left untreated, the long term implications can be very serious."

The Sex Degrees of Separation calculator, and more information about Lloydpharmacy's sexual health services, can be found at online

Editors notes
* Typical profile determined using the Sex Degrees of Separation algorithm to calculate the Sex Degrees total of a median aged individual (39 according to ONS). In each case it was assumed the individual is heterosexual, has had the average number of sexual partners, that their partners were - at the time - the same age, and the frequency was equally distributed from 16 to the median age.
** July 2009 Lloydspharmacy commissioned YouGov to ask 6,000 people over 16 about their sexual behaviour. 17 age ranges were created and the average number of sexual partners within each of these ranges calculated.
***According to HPA, the number of newly diagnosed STIs in the country increased among all age groups from 397,909in 2006 to 399,738 in 2008.
Report: ‘Number of new STI episodes seen at genitourinary medicine clinics by sex, 1999 - 2008.' As of 01.09.09

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has around 1,700 pharmacies across the UK. These are

Lloydspharmacy reports swine flu could trigger boom in remote diagnosis

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:11:21 GMT

Lloydspharmacy has revealed a new report that suggests the government's use of the internet and call centres to deal with the swine flu pandemic could pave the way for a rapid growth in remote diagnosis and prescriptions. This was just one of the conclusions found in the report by the Future Foundation*.

Judith Kleine Holthause, the report’s lead author, said:"Despite its clinical shortcomings, the use of the internet and call centres for diagnosing swine flu and distributing medication demonstrates that remote diagnosis can be an efficient way of dealing with certain conditions."

The Future Foundation forecasts that 37% of people will be using the web for medical information by 2020 (up from 14% in 2009) and that a variety of social and economic factors will lead to a substantial market for online diagnosis and prescriptions in the future.

The report, commissioned by Lloydspharmacy, coincides with the roll-out of 'virtual GPs' into 300 of the chain's pharmacies. Lloydspharmacy has pioneered online diagnosis and prescription.

Now the chain has innovated again by allowing customers to walk into a pharmacy, consult with a doctor from a computer terminal and walk out with their prescriptions a few minutes later.

Andy Murdock, pharmacy relations and governance director of Lloydspharmacy, said: "The face to face consultation will remain at the heart of primary care, but for an increasing array of conditions, remote services provide a viable alternative.

"Right now these include lifestyle conditions such as impotence and hair loss, embarrassing conditions such as STIs, contraception and certain minor ailments such as cystitis. But the list could expand considerably in the future."

However the report's authors warn that regulation will be critical if privately run diagnosis and prescription services are to grow. At present only one online doctor service is registered with the Care Quality Commission explicitly to manage patients remotely. That service, Dr Thom, also provides the GP component of the Lloydspharmacy service.

There is no question that consumers are receptive to the concept. Forty eight per cent of respondents to a poll conducted for the Future Foundation said they were interested in online diagnosis and 56% said they were interested in online prescriptions.

Holthaus added: "In certain areas consumers welcome regulation. Concerns about counterfeit medicines, bogus doctors and commercial motivations will inevitably act as a brake on consumer confidence in remote diagnosis services. We believe that more regulation, monitoring and control will be crucial to the further development of this market.

"There are strong arguments for why the NHS might embrace remote diagnosis as a complementary method to ensure sufficient delivery of satisfactory health care in the future. If regulated and monitored appropriately remote diagnoses and prescriptions could benefit the healthcare system in similar ways as remote services have helped the banking system."

The Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor service is run in conjunction with online health experts Dr Thom, who adhere to the General Medical Council’s guidelines on remote prescribing. Patients log on for an online questionnaire-based consultation with a GP. If clinically appropriate the GP writes a prescription and the treatment is dispensed by post for next day delivery.

Ends
Notes to editor
* The Future of Remote Diagnosis and Prescription Services, August 2009

Lloydspharmacy launches Tamiflu service via its online pharmacy

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:10:38 GMT

Lloydspharmacy is to become the first major healthcare brand to supply Tamiflu online. Customers can now buy Tamiflu via the Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor service.

"We are playing as full a role as possible in the distribution of Tamiflu to NHS patients," said Andy Murdock, Governance and Pharmacy Relations Director of Lloydspharmacy, "but it is clear that there is a significant demand for private prescriptions of the drug.

"We have decided to become the first recognised healthcare brand to sell Tamiflu online in advance of need so that people who want to buy the treatment can get it from a reputable online source which they can trust to dispense Tamiflu."

Lloydspharmacy's Online Doctor service is run in partnership with online health experts Dr Thom, the only online doctor to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission* specifically to prescribe medicines online.

Packs of 10 x 75mg Tamiflu will be available via the online pharmacy. All medicines will be dispatched using Royal Mail Special Delivery for delivery the next working day.

"Anyone displaying symptoms of swine flu, would be advised to call the NHS service appropriate to their area," said Andy Murdock. "The Lloydspharmacy service is for people who want to ensure they have Tamiflu available if and when they need it and for people who will be travelling abroad at some point in the future.

"In the information sent out with every Tamiflu order Lloydspharmacy doctors will explain the symptoms people should look out for and the circumstances under which they should begin treatment."

Lloydspharmacy has pioneered the development of online diagnosis and prescriptions. The Lloydspharmacy Online Doctor service is expanding and already offers treatments for impotence, hair loss and cystitis plus oral contraceptives, sexual health tests and travel medications.

About Lloydspharmacy
Lloydspharmacy has around 1700 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 16,000 staff and dispenses over 145 million prescription items annually.

Ends

Lloydspharmacy reveals Britons play Russian Roulette with worlds deadliest disease

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:10:09 GMT

According to new research* carried out by Lloydspharmacy, the UK's leading community pharmacy chain, around 2.1million British holidaymakers and travellers are ignoring the need to protect themselves against malaria.

This may explain the alarming rise in the number of cases found in the UK, with the British Medical Journal reporting a 30% rise in malaria cases in the UK over the last 15 years**.

According to the new survey of over 1000 people, 25% had travelled to a malaria hotspot in the last five years, with the African continent the most popular of these destinations (11%). The research also found that 19% of these intrepid adventurers either ignored the risk of malaria, or abandoned their malaria medication during the danger period. Despite malaria being one of the leading causes of disease and death in the world, with an estimated 300-500 million new cases worldwide every year, resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths***, Lloydspharmacy found 9% of men and 5% of women simply relied on less effective measures like mosquito repellent, nets or Vitamin B to protect themselves from the potentially deadly disease. A worrying 11% did not even realise that they had travelled to a malarial hotspot.

The release of these findings coincides with the launch of a new complete range of prescription only anti-malarial pills which are available through the Lloydspharmacy' Online Doctor. This is one of only a few online services of its kind and does not require a visit to a GP. This service is designed to encourage travellers to stock up on the necessary anti-malaria pills before travelling

Chris Frost, Head of Medicines at Lloydspharmacy said "We are far too complacent about the risks of malaria and as a result we have one of the worst track records amongst industrialised countries for bringing this disease home from our holidays. Our new online malaria pills service aims to encourage holidaymakers to protect themselves by making it as easy as possible to access the necessary malaria pills.

"Unfortunately all it takes is just one bite from an infected mosquito to contract malaria and it can be deadly if not treated. However, buying the medication isn't enough - it will do little to protect travellers unless they follow the instructions carefully."

The Lloydspharmacy online malaria service involves the customer completing an online questionnaire which is screened by a GP from Dr Thom. If the customer meets appropriate criteria, a prescription is issued and medication distributed with advice on how to take the medication to best effect.

Editors Notes:
* ICM Survey, Sample 1040, fieldwork done 12th – 14th December 2008
** A Health Protection Agency study identified 6,753 cases of falciparum malaria diagnosed in the UK between 2002 and 2006. This is a 30% increase over the last 15 years, according to the British Medical Journal.
*** Netdoctor.co.uk