Community pharmacy - Neighbourhood Retailer

Community pharmacies playing their part in vaccination roll out

Julie Nash — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 13:32:43 +0000

Community pharmacies are once again playing their part in vaccine roll out. More than 300 community pharmacies are being mobilised across Northern Ireland to assist with the delivery of winter vaccinations for Covid 19 and flu.

Since the roll out of the vaccination programme pharmacies have been in the process of visiting over 450 care homes where they have been delivering the vaccination to residents and staff.

In addition they will also be holding clinics to provide a convenient and accessible way for those eligible to obtain the protection offered by these vaccines.

NI Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Cathy Harrison visited Woodbourne Pharmacy in Belfast recently where she received her vaccination and urged all those eligible to come forward and receive theirs.
She said: “Pharmacies are once again playing a major part in the roll out of vaccines alongside their colleagues in GP surgeries and Trusts.

“This year over 300 community pharmacies across Northern Ireland are offering flu and COVID-19 vaccination to everyone aged 50 and over as well as frontline health and social care staff, pregnant women and carers, offering these groups a convenient and accessible way to avail of the protection offered by vaccination.

“I urge everyone eligible to take up the offer of vaccination. Getting vaccinated is free, quick, and it could make a big difference to your health and the health of those close to you.”

More than 300 community pharmacies are being mobilised across Northern Ireland to assist with the delivery of winter vaccinations for Covid 19 and flu.

Since the roll out of the vaccination programme pharmacies have been in the process of visiting over 450 care homes where they have been delivering the vaccination to residents and staff.

In addition they will also be holding clinics to provide a convenient and accessible way for those eligible to obtain the protection offered by these vaccines.

NI Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Cathy Harrison visited Woodbourne Pharmacy in Belfast recently where she received her vaccination and urged all those eligible to come forward and receive theirs.

She said: “Pharmacies are once again playing a major part in the roll out of vaccines alongside their colleagues in GP surgeries and Trusts.

“I urge everyone eligible to take up the offer of vaccination. Getting vaccinated is free, quick, and it could make a big difference to your health and the health of those close to you.”

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NI pharmacists to be allowed to make HRT treatment swaps

Linda Stewart — Wed, 25 May 2022 09:14:01 +0000

Pharmacists in Northern Ireland are to be granted temporary powers to allow them to make swaps to women’s hormone replacement therapy prescriptions.

The move is intended to help address the ongoing shortage of some products, which is an issue across the UK.

Women are regularly told that their HRT products are not available, while substitutes sometimes are.

Pharmacists cannot swap medication without a fresh prescription, which can take some time.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Robin Swann said he was addressing the problem by approving additional protocols which would allow pharmacists to safely issue appropriate substitute HRT medicines.

The government said it had been looking at a variety of ways to improve supply quickly after it heard how women were experiencing distressing symptoms because they were unable to get their choice of medication.

Mr Swann said women’s health was a priority and that it was imperative women had access to hormone replacement products that were safe and effective.

“Today I have approved a number of serious shortage protocols which will allow pharmacists the flexibility to safely offer women appropriate substitutes for HRT products that are currently in short supply,” he said.

“I will continue to work with my UK counterparts to ensure the long-term stability of supply for HRT products going forward.”

Alternative products will be available for Oestrogel, Ovestin cream, Lenzetto transdermal spray and Sandrena gel sachets.

Chief pharmaceutical officer Cathy Harrison said community pharmacists were ideally placed to support women with their health needs.

“This is a safe, effective way to ensure HRT continues to be available for those women who need it to manage their menopausal symptoms,” she said.

“It is also a vote of confidence in the ability of pharmacy teams to effectively manage supply disruptions and maintain patient care.

“Anyone who has questions or concerns about HRT should speak to their GP or pharmacist.”

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Community pharmacies supply more than 820k lateral flow test kits

Linda Stewart — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:40:29 +0000

Northern Ireland’s community pharmacies have now supplied more than 820,000 lateral flow testing kits.

It is estimated that a total of 5.7 million tests, which come in kits of seven, have been distributed via the sector.

Community Pharmacy NI has welcomed the figures, highlighting that having the kits available from an accessible location has been essential to breaking the chain of transmission within our communities.

Lateral flow tests can be collected from 580 locations across Northern Ireland, including 500 community pharmacies.

Peter Rice, Chair of Community Pharmacy NI said: “Reaching this significant milestone is a testament to the entire community pharmacy network who have worked tirelessly to distribute lateral flow tests to patients.

“Facing increased demands from patients as well as workforce pressures associated with the transmission of the Omicron variant, our community pharmacy teams have remained steadfast in their efforts to distribute Lateral Flow Tests among communities. It has been a huge logistical undertaking to get to this point and community pharmacy has played an integral part.

“Over the festive period, as transmission of the Omicron variant rose sharply and demand for Lateral Flow Tests increased as a consequence, in many instances community pharmacy was the only collection point available to members of the public.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown community pharmacy’s value as a key component in our health system, ensuring accessible healthcare and solidifying the link between pharmacies and their communities. I would encourage the Department of Health to consider this milestone when planning for healthcare transformation. Access to local, community-facing primary care is vital and I hope we can consolidate on this.”

Lesa McLoughlin, community pharmacist at Dundela Pharmacy, Belfast said: “Working in a community pharmacy throughout the pandemic, I have seen first-hand the role my colleagues have been playing each day to support patients. We have continually stepped beyond our everyday role to take on additional services to support those living in the community. The rollout of Lateral Flow testing kits is an essential part of this as patients have come to rely on community pharmacy as part of their test, trace, and isolate routine.”

You can collect a free lateral flow testing kit from community pharmacies: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/

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Timoney Pharmacy: vaccinations, winter ailments and a robotic future

Linda Stewart — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 14:21:10 +0000

Former Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Dr Mark Timoney had just returned to his roots and embarked on a major refurbishment of the family business in Lambeg when the pandemic struck – and forced him to revamp the premises.

Timoney Pharmacy had served the Lambeg community for almost 70 years after it was started as Woodlands Pharmacy by Dr Timoney’s mother Margaret back in 1954.

“It’s a community pharmacy in the true sense of the word, in that we are located right in the heart of the local community.” Dr Timoney explains.

“We’ve been able to sustain the healthcare needs of this community in collaboration with healthcare practitioners due to the close proximity to our patients.

“The pharmacy has changed incredibly over the years although the principles of care haven’t changed in that we provide not only medicines but also healthcare advice in response to patients symptoms and information that supports patient wellbeing and healthy lifestyles.”

Landmark

The biggest landmark in recent years was the major refurbishment of the pharmacy and extension of services, including a larger dispensing area and a clinical room which allows for the delivery of healthcare services such as vaccinations, blood pressure monitoring, podiatry services and private consultations.

“My career in pharmacy had previously been on the policy and planning side and this was a unique opportunity to take on the family business and begin to reinvent it in line with the Department of Health’s objectives. We took the opportunity to totally refit the pharmacy facilities and had just managed to complete that work as the pandemic began. This meant that we were well prepared for the change in healthcare delivery brought about by the first surge.”

As other healthcare settings were forced to limit face-to-face contact there was a sudden and increased reliance on pharmacy services. New workflow systems and revamped premises allowed the pharmacy to efficiently maintain an uninterrupted service to the public six days per week.

“We expanded the storage area for dispensing prescriptions and recruited additional staff – for example our Saturday team were incorporated into our regular working team and availed of pharmacy students who weren’t able to attend lectures but wanted to maintain their training and development,” Dr Timoney says.

“We were also able to engage with the local community and voluntary groups in order to recruit volunteers who delivered medicines to all patients who couldn’t leave home during the first lockdown, ensuring that they continued to have their healthcare needs met.

“While some services were stopped during the early days of lockdown, the pharmacy put measures in place to protect staff and customers, including a strict cleaning regime, PPE, barriers and social distancing measures.”

Surge in activity

Demand was boosted by patients being redirected from other healthcare settings and that surge in activity has continued to grow even after the loosening of restrictions.

“Patient contact is a little easier now with the barriers dismantled and the opportunity to use facilities in a more face to face way, and we’ve found that interest in our services has been maintained at the levels that we saw after the advent of the pandemic,” Dr Timoney says.

“With a range of new services – notably Covid – 19 and influenza vaccinations – we’re seeing patient satisfaction with the facilities and services. We’re very interested in their experience and are keen to deliver future services that meet their needs.

“We would like to enhance our ability to supply antibiotics, deliver an increased range of medicines, expand our vaccination service and provide advice on a greater range of symptoms which are commonly encountered such as winter ailments.

“We’d also like to see services that help those patients who struggle with managing large numbers of medicines. And I’d like to see more automation. There are a number of robotic systems that can ease the dispensing process – they effectively read and label the prescription and dispense it under the supervision of the pharmacist. Most hospital pharmacies and the larger dispensing pharmacies have these and I’d be very interested in embedding those arrangements here.”

Vaccination clinics

With pharmacies taking on many of the booster vaccinations, life is busy at the Timoney Pharmacy.

“We currently run clinics for both Covid-19 and flu, at least three per week. It’s taking up a sizable amount of time and resources but there appears to be huge support by the public for vaccination services from pharmacies, “ Dr Timoney says.

“The individual patient facing approach tends to be a little bit more personal so we have no shortage of queries about the vaccines and related issues.”

While there have been worries about how Brexit and the Protocol will impact medical supply chains, Dr Timoney says they aren’t seeing huge issues at the moment.

“We attribute that to the fact that the Department of Health anticipated difficulties and has been managing those for the time being. However, on any day of the week there may be a handful of medications that will be problematic in terms of access, but there has been no significant difference as a result of the Protocol and we work well with our suppliers to manage any shortfalls,” he says.

“We need to be very clear, for now that there are no concerns and the public should be confident that access to medicines has been secured and they will be available when they need them.”

Pharmacy team

The pharmacy team is responsible for two main areas – the front facing team who hand out prescriptions, triage patients and deal with queries and the staff in the dispensing area who compile the prescriptions.

Gazing into his crystal ball, Dr Timoney points out how the pandemic has changed how healthcare services will continue to be delivered.

“I think the public will benefit increasingly in the next number of years from a range of additional services from pharmacies that have been tested during the pandemic period and have been shown to work extremely well in providing beneficial healthcare outcomes,” he says.

“On the strength of that evidence, expect to see further services available to the population in the near future.”

To read the full article, visit Neighbourhood Retailer magazine.

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Community Pharmacy NI urges customers not to hoard lateral flow tests

Linda Stewart — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:22:47 +0000

Demand for lateral flow tests in Northern Ireland is outstripping supply, according to Peter Rice, the chair of Community Pharmacy NI.

Warning patients only to get the tests if they need them, he said the main problem is getting supplies out from the central store to pharmacies.

At the end of last month, new Covid-19 testing measures were put in place to cope with the rise in demand for PCR tests as the Omicron variant spread.

Fully vaccinated people who are identified as close contacts are now advised to take daily lateral flow tests for 10 days following their exposure, but these tests have been hard to come by for many because of the rise in demand.

“The supply is dealt with through one of our wholesalers, but they’re obviously having to focus on the supply of medicine first and foremost,” Mr Rice said.

“It means each pharmacy only gets one box of lateral flow tests per day and in some cases that box is used up within the first hour or so of getting it.”

Liaising

Mr Rice said pharmacies have been in discussion with the Department of Health, but as the supply is a four-country service they have had to make representations to the Department of Health in England.

“We’ve been liaising with the Department of Health hopefully to increase the supplies so instead of getting one box there’s the potential to get two boxes,” he said.

“But at the minute it’s just a matter of being patient. If the public can realise that obviously pharmacies are under quite significant pressure with Omicron, with staff shortages and with the increased workload of coronavirus.

“So we’d really ask the public to be patient and only come forward if they need the testing kits and not to be hoarding them.”

A Londonderry pharmacist has said his business is more stretched now than any other stage of the pandemic.

Liam Bradley, who has 12 pharmacy branches across Northern Ireland, said he has had to reduce opening hours because of the number of staff self-isolating.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Mr Bradley said he believes the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

“We’ve never had a situation like this before where we’ve had more than one pharmacist off at a time,” he said.

“It really has meant that we are juggling staff around making sure that we have a pharmacist in each branch, so that the branch can serve the community in which it is based.”

Mr Bradley said there had been huge demand for lateral flow tests.

“The Department of Health released a huge number of lateral flow tests into community pharmacies on Monday, but they are all gone,” he said.

“We got enough supplies that I thought it would have done us several weeks, but they were used up within a day and a half.”

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