It is important that you take the right dose of your prescribed medicines at the right time each day to get the most from your medicines to control your condition(s) as much as possible. This can sometimes be difficult if you take more than one medicine. One way in which this can be made easier is for your medicines to be supplied in a Monitored Dosage System, which provides you with a separate compartment for each dosage time of the day.

A monitored dosage system (MDS) is a medication storage device designed to simplify the administration of solid oral dose medication, especially for those on multiple medications. It aims to address the issues of difficulty accessing medication due to sight impairment or other disability and/or forgetfulness.

MDS devices are usually a variation on the design of a box or a blister pack, divided into days of the week with several compartments per day to allow for the different timing of doses such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime.

 Our Pharmacist can help identify which patients this type of system would be suitable for.

MDS may be suitable for patients in the following circumstances:

• You struggle to organise medications and find it difficult to remember to take them at the correct time each day
• You have a large number of medications to take each day
• You find it difficult to remove medication from its packaging
• You have a carer who helps you to ensure you take your medicines correctly.
  

Ask a member of our pharmacy team about whether this service would benefit you or whether there is another course of action, which may be of more help.

Our pharmacists can administer meningococcal A, C, W135, Y vaccine to persons 12 years and over. Appointment times are usually available to suit you Our Pharmacist can provide a free certificate of proof of vaccination which complies with the Saudi Government regulations. It is a visa requirement for Saudi Arabia to have ACWY vaccination for those people intending to perform Hajj or Umrah in the 3 years before entering the country and at least 10 days before travel.

No prescription for the vaccine is required. Vaccination is NOT normally available through the NHS. Most people needing ACWY vaccine have to pay for it as a private service. This is a service for which recipients pay a fee to the pharmacy. Visitors to Saudi Arabia, and countries south of the Sahara in Africa, are sometimes at risk from the A, W and Y strain of meningitis.

Travellers who have close contact with local people are more at risk. People may pick up the infection and bring it back to the UK. Travellers in these areas are at risk of contracting meningitis infection which they may carry back to the UK. A single ACWY vaccine injection reduces the risk of infection.

Our Pharmacists undertake theoretical training and practical face-to-face training; including injection training, before being accredited administer the vaccine. Vaccination is not provided in some cases where there are pre existing medical conditions e.g. immunodeficiency, bleeding disorders, and pregnancy,and others. These and some other groups are excluded. Persons in these groups are usually vaccinated at their GP surgeries or a specialist travel health clinic.