Pyramid Pharmacy Group is expanding its women’s health support in Gerrards Cross after taking over Health & Beauty Pharmacy in the village in June. Its first step is an informal drop-in at the pharmacy on Friday 9 October 2026, from 10am to 2pm, bringing menopause educators, haircare and dental experts, and the pharmacy’s own clinicians under one roof. The event is designed as a starting point for a broader programme shaped around what local women say they need.
Health & Beauty Pharmacy, at 58-60 Packhorse Road, appealed to Pyramid because of its existing ties to the local community. Amir Bhogal, Superintendent Lead Pharmacist and Director of Pyramid Pharmacy Group, says: “Independent community pharmacy works best when it becomes part of the community, rather than simply somewhere people collect prescriptions. We felt there was a real opportunity to broaden the healthcare services available locally, particularly around prevention and access to clinical advice. That means treating the pharmacy as a place people can come for healthcare advice, not only medication.”
Since the acquisition, Pyramid has been looking at how to give patients more routes into care close to home. In South Bucks, it sees a gap between searching for information online and booking a formal appointment. There is plenty of material available, but the sheer volume can be confusing, and there are fewer places to speak informally with a healthcare professional.
Women’s health is one of the first areas Pyramid wants to develop within that model. Many women hesitate to book an appointment for a question that may not seem serious enough. Community pharmacies are well placed to fill that space, because people already walk in regularly without booking. The group sees a chance to use that access for early conversations, helping women judge when they can manage something themselves and when to seek further clinical support.
Those conversations rarely fit neatly into one topic. Someone seeking support for menopause may also have questions about nutrition, hair loss, sleep or their wider health, yet each concern is often handled separately rather than as part of the same conversation.
The drop-in event on Friday 9th October from 10am-2pm is built around that problem. A standard appointment is focused on one clinical issue and limited by time. This event is deliberately different. Women can drop in and talk to several professionals without booking. Menopause educator Meera Bhogal will take part alongside hair care experts from Philip Kingsley and dental experts from Revive Clinic, while Pyramid will offer clinical advice from its own pharmacy team. The aim is for women to leave knowing what options and support are available, without having to seek out each area separately.
The format draws on Pyramid’s involvement in Meera Bhogal’s Don’t Pause for Menopause Symposium at The Bull Hotel in Gerrards Cross. The sold-out event was her fourth annual symposium, bringing women together with experts across menopause and midlife health. Talks covered brain health, pelvic floor health, HRT and endometriosis, alongside practical wellbeing sessions. Pyramid was one of the main sponsors, and the experience prompted Amir Bhogal to undertake further education in menopause prescribing. For him, the next step is pairing that clinical knowledge with the everyday accessibility of community pharmacy.
“What we have seen is that women do not necessarily lack information, but they can lack a clear way of making sense of it and knowing who to speak to next,” says Amir Bhogal. “One person may be focused on exercise and lifestyle, another may already be considering HRT, while others are trying to understand whether the changes they are experiencing are something they should seek clinical advice for at all. Those conversations can happen separately, when in reality they often overlap. Our event gives us the chance to hear directly from women about what they feel is missing locally, so that any future events or services are shaped around the questions they are actually asking.”
Therefore, the insight will guide how Pyramid develops future health initiatives through the Gerrards Cross branch, with Health & Beauty Pharmacy acting as a space to respond to the topics residents want more support and information around.
The longer-term aim is for the pharmacy to be somewhere women turn to earlier when they have questions about their health. It is not intended to replace formal appointments or specialist care, but to help women get reliable information closer to home and find the right next step.
