Gordons Chemists have launched their Health Services Week today, with a five-day event focused on community pharmacy.

Held at the company’s Magherafelt store in Northern Ireland, Gordons say the event “will place a different area of health in focus each day, giving local people the opportunity to meet clinicians, ask questions and learn more about the support available close to home”.

Read more: ‘A better Britain’: PM hails five new Pharmacy First conditions

The weeklong health drive begins today with information on audiology services, followed by weight-management insights tomorrow, mole scanning and private GP information on Wednesday, a focus on health checks on Thursday and an overview of NHS pharmacy services available to the community on Friday.

Pharmacist at Gordons Chemists Gareth McGuigan said that local pharmacies should be “one of the easiest doors to walk through when you have a health question”, but many are put off seeking advice because they’re “busy, unsure where to begin or worried that their concern is not serious enough”.

“Make the first step simpler”

He said, “by bringing a different health focus into the store each day, we want to make that first step simpler”.

“Whether someone wants to understand their hearing, explore weight-management support, discuss mole scanning, check their blood pressure or learn more about NHS pharmacy services, they can start with a straightforward conversation in a familiar setting,” he added.

Read more: Nearly a third of people use NHS pharmacy services every month

It comes after NHS England confirmed the expansion of Pharmacy First to include acne, migraines, scabies, ear infections and rhinitis.

And it follows new data from the Office for National Statistics revealing that nearly a third of people use NHS services at a pharmacy at least once a month.