Medicines Counter Assistant


SUPPORTED BY BERNADINE DUFFY


Gribbin Pharmacy, Toomebridge Before commencing working at Gribbin Pharmacy just over a year ago, Bernadine had worked for five years in the neighbouring GP surgery and is in the unique position of having seen healthcare in the community from 'both sides'. As such, she is a friendly, familiar face to those entering the pharmacy. Bernadine is a supreme example of the role that a medicines counter assistant can play in its local community. Toomebridge is a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else and Bernadine plays a very important role in the community in terms of providing a focal point for patients, who are looking for a friendly face and a source of support.


DEBORAH GUNN


Armstrong’s Pharmacy, Lisnaskea Deborah feels that one of the most important aspects of her role as an MCA is to listen. She understands fully that she may be the only person the patient speaks to all day - particularly the elderly. She is totally empathetic to the fact that many local patients, who are living in a rural environment, and who may have been widowed, can be affected by loneliness and isolation, and she does her best to help alleviate that by simply being a listening ear. When listening to patients coming into the pharmacy. The pharmacy provides a focal point for issues such as weight loss, and Deborah finds that the patients enjoy coming in on a weekly basis to have their information recorded.


ANNE HAND


Boots, Dungannon Anne is a pharmacy advisor in a busy community pharmacy located within a shopping centre in Dungannon, which caters for a local, diverse population, including many foreign nationals. Anne has been working in the pharmacy for 24 years and is responsible for ensuring that the patients, who visit the pharmacy, get the best possible experience. Anne works very closely with the large Portuguese and Lithuanian community in Dungannon, helping them understand how to avail of healthcare services locally. Her pharmacy is also the palliative care pharmacy in Dungannon, and Anne frequently goes over and beyond what is required in her role to ensure these vulnerable patients and their families get the best quality of care at a very difficult time in their life.


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