With the eyes of the sailing world set to fall on the Isle of Wight, the local NHS is urging residents to take extra care to stay safe in the sun.
Cowes Week, the world’s biggest sailing regatta, starts this Saturday (July 30), and runs until August 6th.
Dr Michele Legg, the GP who is clinical lead on the Island for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said: “Cowes Week is rightly always one of the highlights in our annual calendar, and we can expect our usual big influx of visitors at the height of the tourist season – both competitors and spectators.
“The NHS is always available but we would ask people to help us and themselves by taking every precaution to ensure they use the right service for their needs or take preventative measures wherever possible.
“If people need repeat prescriptions in the days ahead, please order these in good time and not leave it to the last minute.
“The Island’s pharmacies are of course a great source of information and a first call for a range of minor ailments, as well as offering over-the-counter medicines to treat many common health conditions.
“Around 500 people a month on the Isle of Wight are being treated more quickly by going to see a pharmacist rather than booking an appointment at a GP practice. Our Pharmacy First scheme encourages people to visit a community pharmacist for the management of minor ailments where they can be seen quickly and without the need for making a GP appointment.
“The number of conditions that can be treated under Pharmacy First includes coughs, colds and sore throats, hay-fever and allergies, aches and pains, stomach upsets, diarrhoea or constipation, skin infections, warts and verrucae, conjunctivitis, head lice, worms and scabies, and insect bites and stings.”
To find a local pharmacy, click here.
Dr Legg said: “There is more sunny weather forecast during Cowes Week. Please say safe, when appropriate to do so, by using high-factor sun cream, wearing hats, drinking plenty of water and following the NHS advice.”