Pharmacists shouldn't be telling customers to lose weight

I’ve had a number of embarrassing run-ins with pharmacists. I discovered my daughter had headlice three days into our holiday in Pisa and was forced to mime both insects hopping and head-scratching for the benefit of an apparently drunk Italian chemist who claimed not to know a single word of English. This was nothing on having to shout about my need for the morning after pill for the benefit of a hearing-impaired teenager in a white coat and a lengthy queue of customers listening intently. But never has a pharmacist commented on my weight.

This might be about to change. Under new guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), chemists are being urged to chat to customers about diet, alcohol consumption and smoking. They could then go on to suggest lifestyle changes or recommend a GP’s appointment. Both the NHS’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and the government’s primary care minister have stressed the important role played by pharmacists in providing accessible and approachable (not to mention cheap) health advice.