COOKSTOWN
young families - coming to the area and for that reason outlying areas such as moneymore, coagh, Draperstown, and Kildress are growing at a considerable rate.
‘Despite that, however, we - as a family-owned business - continue to see several generations of the same family come into the pharmacy. my father opened the pharmacy in 1963 and I began here almost 20 years ago - taking over in 2005 - so I’ve grown up in and around the pharmacy and am seeing many of my peers coming in with multi-generational families now. as with all other pharmacies across the north - and indeed across the UK and Ireland - we’re all being affected by the ageing population and the health needs that that entails so the face of pharmacy is having to change to meet those needs.
‘over the last few years we’ve seen the focus of primary care switch to an emphasis on keeping people in their homes for as long as possible and this has put extra demands on the services that we provide. Delivery of medications for example, dosette boxes and mobility aids have all been on the increase and this has put added pressure on pharmacy staff, but we simply have to go with the flow and change our service focus to meet the requirements that are being placed on us.
‘Just as with ten years ago, I think we're managing to provide an excellent service to our patients - and one with increased focus on services into the bargain. put simply, I think we have been faced with challenges and have more than risen up to meet them.’
Darren allen is in total agreement with niall. ‘our pharmacy has been in
“DESpItE thE fact that thE popUlatIon IS groWIng, thE local pharmacIES haVE managED to SUStaIn a fIrSt-claSS, bEttEr-ValUE SErVIcE throUgh ShEEr harD WorK anD collaboratIon”
business for more than 60 years,’ he said, ‘so, as you can imagine, the healthcare requirements of the local population have changed greatly over that time. Despite the fact that the population is growing, the local pharmacies have managed to sustain a first-class, better-value service through sheer hard work and collaboration. pharmacy as a profession has had to modernise and I firmly believe that we provide a fantastic service to our patients.’
Janine barker, area manager for boots UK in the north and West of northern Ireland, is not only based in cookstown but is a native of the area! Janine started her pharmacy career as a student in the town and has, needless to say, seen many changes over the last fifteen years.
‘there’s no doubt that the shopping trends of cookstown people have changed greatly over the last few years,’ Janine told pif. ‘When the post office moved and the new retail park was opened, we saw some footfall move away from the main street.
‘the public realms work that has been carried out in the town over the last few years also meant that while there was increased access to parking spaces and improved disable parking, the number of parking spaces in total was reduced considerably.
‘‘all of these changes and developments have brought significant challenges to the town’s footfall, and the pharmacies are working hard to continue to be successful.
‘alongside prescriptions, pharmacies continue to innovate by providing an expanded range of services, for example the flu vaccination service. our patients tell us that a pharmacy is a convenient and accessible option for getting their flu vaccination. We are near to where they work and have opening hours that suit their busy lives. at-risk patients regularly visit our pharmacies to collect their prescription and to seek advice and support so our pharmacists are also well placed to remind them of the importance of immunisation.
‘I think that one of the things that attracts patients to our pharmacies is
pharmacY In focUS - 19
the fact that all of our staff are from the area, and the patients like our personal, familiar service. Several of our colleagues have been here about 30 years so it makes us feel like a family-run business. our customer satisfaction is very high and I think that’s partly because boots invests in its people all the time, ensuring that the pharmacy teams are working very effectively and delivering great care every day. It’s probably for such reasons that, despite the fact that there’s one pharmacy less since pif was here ten years ago, and there’s even more business, we’re all managing. all of the pharmacies in cookstown have a great relationship. We’re on the phone to each other on a regular - sometimes daily - basis with regard to things like stock, and I think it is this collaboration that has ensured continuity of added-value pharmacy service to patients.’ •
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