Asda today (February 27) announced the launch of its “Adult Earache Service”, offering patients aged 18 and above “immediate appointments” at any of its 226 pharmacies in England.
“Priced at just £25, patients can book same day appointments with a qualified Asda pharmacist, removing the need to book a GP appointment and thereby reducing the burden on NHS services,” the supermarket said.
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According to Asda, this new service mirrors the “popular under 18’s earache service launched last year” and patients will be able to “either walk in when they visit or book an appointment in-store or through the Asda pharmacy website”.
The supermarket “anticipates that the new service will alleviate the burden on the NHS for what is a quick and routine service but can sometimes take weeks to schedule an appointment with a GP,” it said.
Pharmacists will examine a patient’s ear and if needed, will be able to “provide them with prescription drops... on the same day as their visit and at no additional cost,” the chain added.
“More accessible”
Asda head of pharmacy Faisal Tuddy said that “we’ve been listening to our patients, and we know that ear health is something many people don’t priorities until an issue arises, but it’s vital to check ears regularly”.
“By introducing this service at such an affordable price, we aim to make ear health more accessible for everyone, and help our customers spot any problems before they become more serious,” he added.
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It comes after Tesco last week (February 19) announced the launch of a “free NHS blood pressure check” at its in-store pharmacies to “help get Britain clued up about their blood pressure”.
And earlier this month (February 5) Well pharmacy launched a new “Online Doctor” service to demonstrate its “commitment to improving access to healthcare [by] meeting the evolving needs of patients” in community pharmacy.
Similarly, Morrisons last month (January 2) launched the “Morrisons Clinic”, an “online private prescription service” that delivers medication “straight to [a patient’s] door without a GP appointment”.
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Meanwhile, Asda revealed significant cuts to head office roles and new office working requirements in November amid “challenging” market conditions.
Some 475 redudancies were part of the supermarket’s new strategy “to remove duplication and simplify structures”, an Asda spokesperson told C+D at the time.
