ALL THE LATEST NEWS, VIEWS AND STORIES FROM AROUND YOUR LOCAL AREA:JANUARY/FEBRUARY BELATED GREETINGS!
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year from all at Allison’s and we hope that you also had a great Christmas spent with loved ones. I know that this isn’t always the case, so if it wasn’t, I hope that it was quick and painless.
I must admit that I didn’t realise the last issue of the Post was the Christmas one, so I would have said all of the above then, as well as laying on the Allison’s biscuit donation patter a little heavier.
In retail, you don’t get quite as much time off as you’d like over any holiday period and being part of the health care system means that you get even less than that. I’d like to thank our staff who worked over the Christmas period without a word of discontent (that I heard). We were also selected for a New Year’s Day Rota after managing to the ones covering the Christmas Day Rota last year, so a special mention to those who worked on that day too.
GET STOCKTAKE DONE!
Like many others, we wait to see exactly what ‘getting Brexit done’ means for us. I have spent much of the festive period wondering if I should allow staff to delve into my post-Brexit arsenal of medication that I have burrowed away over the last few months in anticipation of pharmaceutical Armageddon (against the Health Secretary’s guidance). On balance, I decided to allow it, as the thought of what the stock takers’ and accountants would say when they found out gave me chills.
GETTING THE NEEDLE!
At this time of year with the dark nights, wet weather and post- Christmas blues, it is nice to think about being somewhere hot on a beach not doing very much at all.
Fortunately, running a travel clinic means that I don’t have to use much imagination, as I get a steady stream of people going to Brazil on Boxing Day, Thailand tomorrow, or South Africa on Saturday.
As a consummate professional, I don’t let my envy get the better of me, but I don’t really want to see the photos when you get back as one patient offered me!
DATA’LL HURT!
Many of you will have been affected by the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that came into effect in May 2018. For individuals, it was likely no worse than alerts around online accounts and emails. For companies, we were scared witless by threats of massive financial penalties if we breached the regulations that were far from straightforward and it led to mass confusion.
A pharmacy bagged the unwanted accolade of being the first organisation to be fined under these GDPR regulations. Whilst I am certain that there will have been bigger and more blatant breaches of patient confidentiality, this particular infraction was rather shocking.
The comedically named Doorstep Dispensaree (yes that’s the correct spelling) is a pharmacy that specifically dispenses to care homes in the Home Counties. They lived up to their name by leaving half a million documents containing patient data in their courtyard getting soaked for a considerable length of time. The Information Commissioner’s Office slapped them with a £275,000 fine, which had to be paid within a month and has forced them to improve rapidly or face further fines.
We have always done our very best to respect our patient’s confidentiality and didn’t feel that we had to make too many changes when the new rules came into play. However, don’t be surprised if your prescription bag is covered with all the labels the computer produces, as we don’t want to take any risks getting rid of them ourselves!
It then maddens me when I walk around town and find pharmacy bags with patient’s names and addresses on them, just thrown on the floor. One rule for us eh?
Nat Mitchell
WWW.COCKERMOUTHPOST.CO.UK FEELING THE NEED TO TRAVEL?
We can administer your travel vaccines* and provide antimalarials: • Diphtheria Tetanus and Polio • Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B • Japanese Encephalitis • Meningitis ACWY • Rabies • Tick Borne Encephalitis • Typhoid
We can also vaccinate against Meningitis B (from 2 years old) Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) for both boys and girls
Vaccinations require a consultation with our trained pharmacist and some need to be started weeks before travelling. We aim to give you comprehensive advice and carry a range of vaccines. Many patients have received their vaccination the same or next day at a price that matches or beats most other clinics. * Please note that these are private services and are therefore chargeable. We are not a designated Yellow Fever centre.
FLU VACCINES
We are still offering our ‘drop in’ service with short waiting times and large vaccine stocks.
✔ Over 65’s ✔ Under 65’s ✔ Private Jabs for those 9 years and over (just £10.00)
✔ Cumbria Council flu jab vouchers accepted If you are eligible for a FREE NHS flu jab, then you are
welcome to have it with us regardless of which GP surgery you are registered with, as long as it is in the UK.
FREE Prescription Collection and Delivery Service You can have your prescription dispensed with us on a regular basis if you would like to.
Get in touch and we can arrange for you to nominate us as your pharmacy of choice. Unsure if your prescription is ready? We can send you a text message to let you know when it’s ready
For further information on our services please visit our website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter
31 Main Street, Cockermouth CA13 9LE Monday to Friday: 8.30am - 6.00pm and Saturday: 8.30am - 4.00pm
www.allisonschemist.com | 01900 822 292 ISSUE 438 | 23 JANUARY 2020 | 9
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