Pharmacy Magazine Podcast – Talking Pharmacy 2026, Episode 10

And it was a story about a pharmacist who was unable to help a lady in need.

She had a first aid issue.

So I think it's important not to necessarily go into the detail of the specific case, which is going to be difficult.

But in these circumstances, an elderly lady had cut her finger, went to the pharmacy to get some help, and they were unable to or unwilling to help the lady.

The lady then, I think initially she'd gone to her GP practice, perhaps, or she'd gone there after, she'd gone there at some point anyway.

and they also said there's no one available to help you and both these locations suggested phoning 999 which seems entirely inappropriate to me then she bumped into her neighbour and the neighbour bandaged her up so and she's still alive so we might want to cut that bit out anyway I think the issue here is, for me, is that over the years in pharmacy, I've bandaged up loads of people.

So I remember one of the first times that I bandaged someone up was an elderly lady came into the pharmacy and she was literally spurting blood from her legs.

It was landing on the shelves, on the floor, it was in her shoes.

And what had happened was she'd caught a varicose vein and there's blood everywhere.

So I always remember doing my pre-reg, we had some first aid training.

And that is the only first aid training I've ever had as a pharmacist.

That was a while ago.

And it was actually Alison Blenkinsop's husband, John Blenkinsop, who did the training.

And he said something that I remembered.

And it was, if you ever manage to stop someone's varicose vein bleeding, then they'll always remember you.

It looks really difficult, but it's actually quite easy, he said.

So I was totally prepared for this.

So got the lady on the ground, elevated her legs and wrapped up her leg and So that stopped, well, more or less stopped bleeding.

And then I asked one of my assistants to take her to A&E.

That's what we did.

Over the years, loads of examples of that.

When I had my pharmacy, two GPs, coincidentally, were out on their bikes and not run over, but they fell off their bikes as a consequence of a car being too close.

They came into the pharmacy, wanted first aid, dealt with one of them.

Other cases as well, people collapsing outside, car crashes outside.

or have gone to help.