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.

“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.”

The post Community pharmacies playing their part in vaccination roll out first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Vincent Campbell says the state of the art refit of his Portrush pharmacy was incredibly timely, happening shortly before Covid arrived. The changes they made to work flows and installation of a robotic dispensary servicing two floors made all the difference.

The refit of Campbell’s Pharmacy Portrush meant there were now four points for dispensing, with separate pharmacy teams operating over three floors. This greatly limited the chances of viral spread. The new robotic dispensary proved invaluable throughout this time.

“We couldn’t have got through the Covid crisis in our old pharmacy layout. The robot allowed us to dispense safely, work with social distancing between members of each element of the team and deal with concerned patients” Vincent explains.

“It meant we were able to operate over three floors and maintain separate teams on each of these floors. This measure helped us to limit the possibility of any Covid spread within the team. We hoped these measures would save the pharmacy from having to close if any of the team tested positive for Covid.

20th anniversary

Covid has meant huge changes to pharmacy life – and the 20th anniversary celebration at Campbell Pharmacy was the latest casualty, resulting in a lower key commemoration than hoped.

“We celebrated 20 years of Campbell’s Pharmacy, Portrush on Friday 11th February, but with Covid there’s not a lot you can do,” Vincent admits.

“We decorated the shop, got commemorative pens and stickers to highlight the fact that we’ve been looking after our patients for 20 years. We had cake and buns, and patients brought us in homemade food and flowers.

“It was a day of celebration and we used social media to get the word out as well. We got the most amazing complimentary and heart-warming messages throughout the weekend from people on social media, which was lovely. Social media is something that I don’t really make enough use of, so it’s always heartening to see that there are people out there who get the message.”

Campbell’s Pharmacy started 20 years ago when Vincent and his wife Donna – both pharmacists – bought an existing pharmacy in Portrush.

“It was a small pharmacy with two pharmacy assistants and one pharmacist, so the plan was always to grow, grow, grow,” Vincent says.

“There are now usually myself and two other pharmacists and about another six ancillary staff daily as well, from dispensing technicians to pharmacy assistants, and we’ve got somebody training to be an accredited checking technician.

“The basic aim has always been to look after our patients as you would your own family – that’s what drives all the staff.

The power of staff

“I’ve been very lucky in the staff that have been here. They tend to arrive and stay and stick the pace. I’ve also been very lucky to have Donna to help me with ideas and plans for future development.

“Originally it was one small shop and then we extended into the premises next door. There was a two-storey flat upstairs, above the pharmacy and we had tried other business enterprises like an osteopath, other complementary practitioners and a hairdresser there, but we’ve now actually encompassed all three floors into the pharmacy in the most recent refit.”

Part of that growth is about embracing every new service that comes along, he says.

“At the minute we are a pilot site for a urinary tract infection scheme. We’re also taking part in the Pharmacy First scheme, so we’ve got winter ailments, we treat minor ailments, we do the smoking cessation scheme. We take part in the addiction service as well as weight management, blood pressure management, diabetic screening, vaccinations, both Covid and flu, and travel advice as well.

“We had been about to start a travel vaccination clinic just before Covid set in, so that was shelved with a view to picking it up and taking it out of mothballs whenever everything settles down and international travel begins again. That will be in place whenever all the Covid restrictions have been relaxed – we anticipate that later in the year.”

Quiet dispensary

The pharmacy also has a quiet dispensary where blister packs, weeklies and dailies can be dispensed without distractions from computers or phones.

“Anything that needs to be questioned, queried or researched can be done on one of the other floors but it means then that anything that requires extra supervision, like dispensing packs or daily prescriptions can all be done in a very distraction-free environment,” Vincent says.

“It’s all white, brightly lit and there’s lots of bench space for checking items and being able to see everything in front of you. I’ve tried to introduce systems that will reduce the chance of error at the end of the day to try and keep everyone safe.”

When Covid started, the pharmacy had just taken on a temporary driver to help out the staff who were doing the deliveries themselves. He is now a highly valued permanent staff member.

“Covid has been really busy, very challenging. The staff have been amazing. They have helped out without question any time they’ve been asked, everyone’s been really good and very selfless. We’ve tried to look after the staff as much as we can as well with small rewards as well by way of thanks because they’ve been so good,” Vincent says.

Frontline service

“We’ve stayed open throughout the covid crisis. We were completely frontline, we’ve had to triage patients for the local health centres. We’ve had to attend patients that haven’t been able to see their GPs for whatever reason.

“We’ve had to assist patients with photographing lumps, bumps, rashes and everything else and get those to various GP practices because they haven’t been able to be seen in person. We’ve had patients referred to us from health centres because they can’t be seen by their GPs.”

But he admits that it is becoming a struggle to maintain all the extra duties that pharmacies took on early in the pandemic – and since early December pharmacies haven’t been able to take on any new patients for monitored dosage systems.

“We’ve been carrying this burden in community pharmacy, we’ve been covering the cost of this ourselves. There hasn’t been a properly structured system put into place yet that would ensure that every patient is enrolled the same way into a commissioned service,” Vincent says.

“I know there are negotiations going on, at a much higher level than I’m privy to, between the board and Community Pharmacy NI to try and establish some form of a funded service for those patients that need a bit of extra help with their medicines.

“In the past we’ve been able to help them with a monitored dosage system and there’s been care packages put in place, but it’s just become overwhelming and community pharmacies can’t foot the bill for this any more, so I would hope that we get a funded service for that.”

“We’ve shown that the community pharmacy is open, that it’s accessible, we’re able to deliver essential services, we’re able to deliver complex services such as the Covid vaccinations which have been a tremendous success for community pharmacy. It’s all about looking after people and keeping them well,” he says.

The post Saving the day: Campbell’s Pharmacy Portrush store profile first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The 250,000-vaccine milestone encompasses the primary and booster vaccinations administered since the sector’s inclusion in the vaccination programme in March 2021.

Community pharmacy is now the main provider of first and second COVID-19 vaccination doses as well as delivering the booster vaccination to those eligible through community pharmacy (currently those aged over 30 and three months on from their second vaccine dose).

Over 250 community pharmacies are currently providing the Moderna booster vaccination for all those who are eligible.

Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene said: “Reaching this significant milestone is a credit to the work and dedication of our community pharmacy teams. The network joined the vaccination programme back in March and since then has been working incredibly hard to maximise the levels of protection against COVID-19 across our communities.

“Administering 250,000 vaccines in nine months shows the value of accessible and convenient community pharmacy locations and community pharmacy teams have played a significant role in getting overall numbers to where they are today.

“During the recent Community Pharmacy ‘Big Jab Weekend’ over sixty local pharmacies vaccinated over 11,000 people with their COVID-19 vaccine or booster, which is a tremendous achievement.

Busy week

“As we approach some of the busiest weeks in the year for community pharmacy, our pharmacy teams will be working hard to dispense the medicines patients will need for the Christmas and new year holiday periods. I would ask the public to be patient as this may affect the availability of the COVID-19 vaccination service at some community pharmacies in the lead up to and over the festive season.”

Sean Grimley, community pharmacist at Pharmacy Plus said: “As a community pharmacist, I’ve seen daily the benefit of providing the COVID-19 vaccine to those living locally in the community. Community pharmacy is the first choice for many in our neighborhoods, including the elderly and those unable to travel, due to our convenient location and the fact that patients trust us. It has been really encouraging to be able to provide primary and booster jabs to our patients and support them throughout this period.

“Working in the community, we are live to the concerns from patients in relation to increased COVID-19 transmissibility and ease of access to vaccines which is why it is so important that we continue to provide all doses required to give the maximum protection possible and allay the concerns patients might have.”

To find your nearest participating community pharmacy, visit: http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/booster-covid19-vaccination/

Caption: (L-R): Community pharmacist, Ryan McKinstry; pharmacy team member, Claire McQuade; Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene; pharmacy team member, Marjorie McCowan; and community pharmacist, Liam Grimley.

The post NI’s community pharmacies surpass 250K vaccination milestone first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Reacting to yesterday’s comments in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock that frontline shopworkers should be a priority for vaccination, Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:

“Retail NI fully supports Matt Hancock’s comments that frontline shopworkers should be a priority for vaccination and would urge the NI Executive to actively consider this”

“We absolutely understand there are groups of people, such as the elderly, those with underlying conditions and emergency services that need to be vaccinated first. But given that retail workers are on the shopfloor, interacting with the public and are vital to ensuring the supply of food, they should be factored into the local vaccination program”

“While our members are ensuring that safety measures are in place for their staff and shoppers, a retail worker vaccination program will be essential to provide further protection and reducing transmission of the virus”

“We hope to raise this issue with Ministers in the coming days”

The post Retail NI Calls For Local Shopworkers Vaccination As Priority first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In a letter to health secretary Matt Hancock and business secretary Alok Sharma, Usdaw urged the government to intervene to protect staff, saying they were being left too vulnerable to the new strain of the virus which has forced a new sweeping lockdown across other sectors.

The union is also urging retailers to “revisit” safety restrictions in store and consider reducing the number of customers allowed in back to the same limits as those introduced in March.

The letter claimed retail staff were at “greater risk of catching the virus and bringing it home to their families”.

It also asked for stronger action from retailers and the police to enforce the wearing of masks by customers to protect staff.

“Retail staff are working with the public every day and are not only suffering increased abuse but are also deeply worried about catching Covid-19,” said Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis.

“That must be taken into account by the government when assessing risk levels and priority for vaccines and testing.

“We are calling on the government to ensure retail workers and delivery drivers are given priority, because they provide the essential service of keeping the nation fed.

“We are also looking for support from the government, retail employers and the shopping public to help make food stores and deliveries as safe as possible for customers and staff alike.”

Meanwhile supermarket bosses have offered to help with the massive logistical challenge of rolling out the Covid vaccine.

Responding to the lockdown plans, BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “The government’s testing programme and a rapid rollout of vaccines are the key to bringing an end to this cycle of lockdowns, and we have made clear to government that the retail industry is willing to make its resources available to support this effort.

“The continued rise in Covid cases over the Christmas period is a significant cause for concern, and we understand the need for the government to act.

“Retailers have been playing their part to make stores safe, spending hundreds of millions of pounds on coronavirus safety measures, including implementing social distancing measures and increased cleaning procedures.”

However, Dickinson said the cost of the latest measures for non-essential retailers forced to close would be huge.

“The consequences of these latest restrictions – with non-essential retail already closed for several weeks – will be severe for many businesses who yet again face losing £2bn per week in sales.”

In England, Morrisons has offered its car parks to assist with the vaccination programme.

The post Retail staff are frontline workers too first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.