WE EXPERIENCED SOME PROBLEMS WITH PATIENTS, WHO, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, DIDN’T TURN UP AND SO WE HAD TO QUICKLY ESTABLISH A BACK-UP LIST
‘We’ve had great feedback from our patients about the convenience of presenting at community pharmacy for vaccination, primarily because many patients didn’t want to travel to large vaccination centres. Once again, I think we’ve proved how vital a role in play in primary care.’
Jonathan’s views are mirrored by those of Joe McAleer, who owns Belcoo Pharmacy in Fermanagh and Erne Pharmacy in Enniskillen.
‘I’m very fortunate,’ Joe told PiF, ‘in that I have pharmacists working with me in both of my shops, and so this left me free to deliver full-day clinics. Like Jonathan, I realised that this service had to be built into the day-to-day pharmacy service and I think we managed this very well.
'By providing the service from the two pharmacies, patients didn’t have to make the full-day round-trip to Belfast and were absolutely delighted.
‘I feel that pharmacy reacted very quickly and went from no experience in such clinics to a very smooth operation in a short period of
time, delivering more than 40,000 doses to local communities.
‘I really hope that patients will now appreciate us more for our clinical skills. From the outset of the pandemic, community pharmacies became the ‘go to’ place for services, such as blood pressure monitoring.
‘I think we showed how much could be done through community pharmacy and I hope that this will be recognised.
‘Going forward, if we are to continue our role in providing a vaccination service, then we will need to restructure, particularly in terms of staff in order to free ourselves up to vaccinate and this will naturally require investment.
‘I know our contribution was greatly received and appreciated by our patients and reflects the level of trust that the patients have in us.’
In the border town of Warrenpoint, meanwhile, contractor Michael Walsh chose to deliver the
vaccination programme outside of normal working hours.
‘I knew that I couldn’t operate the vaccination clinic during the working day,’ Michael said. ‘It simply wasn’t practical or feasible and so I decided to run it after hours. Myself and another pharmacist stayed on after work and delivered a vial of doses each.
‘We also operated a clinic on a Sunday afternoon from 2-5pm and delivered four vials. I then held a clinic during shop hours on a Saturday, while a pharmacist worked in the dispensary. I’ve delivered 180 doses so far.
‘As with Joe and Jonathan, the back-up list was put into operation very early on – from the first batch in fact, when I realised that I had booked eight in for the first clinic but that there were actually nine doses in the vial. The list primarily comprised patients, who lived within five minutes of the pharmacy.
‘It was very clear very quickly that the vaccinations had to be well planned out. Unlike the flu vaccination clinics, where you hold a two- hour clinic and if no one turns up, there’s no problem, it was vital that patients turned up for these clinics.
‘Distance was the primary factor in patients preferring to come to the pharmacy. Craigavon Hospital was the nearest major vaccination centre and that’s practically a full day’s journey.
‘Everyone who booked in for our vaccination service, appreciated the convenience of being able to attend the pharmacy.’
WE’VE HAD GREAT FEEDBACK FROM OUR PATIENTS ABOUT THE CONVENIENCE OF PRESENTING AT COMMUNITY PHARMACY FOR VACCINATION
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