Samit Patel

Often more than people expect, yes. It is not only where you end up that matters, but the order you travel in and anywhere you stop on the way, because some certificate requirements are triggered by passing through a country rather than staying in it.

Bring the whole itinerary when you come, including connecting flights and any overnight stops. We will work through it with you country by country.

No, and please do not talk yourself out of coming. Some protection started late is still worth having, some vaccines act faster than people assume, and a good deal of what we do is advice rather than injections.

Come in or call us with your dates. I would rather tell you honestly what fits in the time you have than have you travel with nothing.

It depends on where you are going and, just as much, on where you have travelled from. Some countries ask for the certificate only if you have passed through a risk area on the way, which is what catches people out on multi-stop trips.

Bring your full itinerary and we will check it against current guidance with you before anything is given.

Six to eight weeks before you fly is ideal, because some vaccines need more than one dose and a little time to work. If your trip is sooner than that, still come and see us. There is nearly always something useful we can do in the time you have, and I will tell you honestly what fits.

Read our guide to planning travel health →

Your travel dates, where you are going, and any record of vaccines you have had before, if you have one. If you cannot find your records, do not let that stop you. We work with what you know.

A note of any medicines you take is helpful too, and that is all. We do the rest.

What happens at a travel appointment →

Yes, and it is often easier to see the whole family together. Which vaccines suit a child depends on their age and where you are going, so I look at each child individually rather than working from a list. Tell us their ages when you get in touch and we will make sure there is enough time.

Travel health for families →

You can come straight to us. For a set of common conditions, including sore throats, sinusitis, earache, shingles and uncomplicated urinary infections, a pharmacist can assess you and, where it is right, provide treatment on the NHS without a GP appointment.

If what you have needs a doctor, I will say so plainly and help you get there. Nobody leaves without a next step.

How Pharmacy First works →

Then I tell you, straight away and in plain words, and I help with the next step. That might be a same-day call to your GP surgery, a referral, or advice on where to go if it should not wait. You will leave knowing exactly what to do next. That is the promise.

What Pharmacy First can and cannot treat →

For most people it does not. Microsuction uses gentle suction under magnification, so nothing is pushed into the ear and no water is involved. You will hear the suction, which sounds louder than it feels, and each ear usually takes a few minutes. If anything is uncomfortable at any point, say so and we stop.

Earwax removal explained →

Yes. Ask your GP surgery to nominate Miles Pharmacy, or tell us and we will arrange it with you. From then on your prescriptions reach us electronically and we get them ready. If something is not in stock we let you know before you set off, and we chase it.

How our prescription service works →

Come and speak to us. In many cases a pharmacist can make an emergency supply of a medicine you take regularly, so you are not left without it. Bring the box or a previous label if you have it. If we cannot help on the day, we will tell you who can, and we will not leave you guessing.

Emergency supplies and how they work →

Yes, and it is one of the simplest things you can do for yourself. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, which is exactly why a five-minute check matters. If yours is fine, you have peace of mind. If it is higher than we would like, you have found out early, when there is most that can be done. Either way you leave knowing where you stand.

Preparing for a blood pressure check →

No. We ask a few questions because they affect which option is right for you, not to judge, and we ask them in the consultation room with the door closed. The sooner you come, the better it works, so please do not put it off because you are worried about the conversation. It is a short, private, ordinary part of what we do.

Emergency contraception at Miles →

Not quite, and that is deliberate. The form sends us the service you want and the date that suits you. One of us then checks it is the right service for you and confirms the time with you directly. You will never find yourself booked into something that is not right for you.

Everything we offer, in one place →

Please do. That is what I am here for. Tell me what is going on in your own words and I will either point you to the right service or fetch the pharmacist to talk it through with you. You do not need to know the name of anything before you walk in.

Browse the services →

Mostly we talk. I want to hear what you have already tried, what got in the way, and what a good outcome would look like for you, because that is different for everybody.

I will go through your health history and the medicines you take, and check a few basic measurements with you. Nothing is decided on the spot unless you want it to be.

No. Everything happens in the consultation room with the door shut, including the scales.

If being weighed is something you would rather not do at all, say so when you come in. We can have the conversation without it and decide together what is useful to measure.

A list of any medicines you take, including anything you have bought yourself, and anything you know about your own health history that a GP would have on file.

If you have recent readings from elsewhere - blood pressure, blood tests - bring those too. If you have none of it, come anyway; we work with what you know.

£50 for both ears and £35 for one, for a 20-minute appointment. That covers looking inside both ears and removing the wax where it is safe to do so. There is no separate examination fee and no booking fee. You pay at the pharmacy on the day. If you book both ears and only one needs treating, you pay £35.

Twenty minutes. The examination takes a few minutes at the start, removal itself is usually five to fifteen minutes depending on how hard the wax is, and we look again at the end to confirm the canal is clear. You will not be in and out in five minutes, and you will not be there an hour.