On Friday 9 July, Ben Lake MP for Ceredigion visited Well Pharmacy in the centre of Cardigan to hear from the staff about how they had dealt with the Covid pandemic, and to understand more about the way in which community pharmacy was changing. Well in Cardigan is one of several community pharmacies in Hywel Dda which has been commissioned to deliver Covid vaccinations in west Wales. They also deliver a strong list of consultations to meet the health needs of the local population, but are keen to do more.
Commenting on the visit, Ben Lake MP said:
"It was a pleasure to visit Cardigan's Well Pharmacy to learn more about the huge contribution that our community pharmacists have made during the pandemic. I am extremely grateful to pharmacists and their teams across Ceredigion for their hard work during what has been a very challenging year.
"Pharmacies have played an important role in the NHS response to Covid-19, and have made a significant contribution to the vaccination programme. Provided there’s sufficient ongoing support from the government and local health board, I believe that community pharmacies will play a crucial role in our recovery from the pandemic, and will be instrumental in the way we deliver healthcare in the future."
Roisin Thomas-Hands, Area Operations Manager for Well Pharmacy, said:A
“We are grateful Ben Lake MP took the time to visit us at Well in Cardigan in order to see first hand the way in which we have stepped up to be part of a Covid vaccination programme. As health professionals we have worked consistently and tireless throughout the pandemic to make sure people had access to medicines and now to vaccines. Ben recognised that in the thanks he gave to the community pharmacy team.”
Jo Sharp, branch manager of Well in Cardigan, said:
“The shape of Community Pharmacy is changing. Many pharmacists find the delivery of consultation services to be amongst the most rewarding parts of the job. Ben Lake saw the potential of what we do but also the need for more of us pharmacists to be given the chance to be upskilled as independent prescribers. I am grateful for his interest in helping me become an the first independent prescriber pharmacist in Cardigan.”
Rhodri Thomas from Community Pharmacy Wales said:
“Roughly half the commissioning of Covid vaccines from community pharmacies has happened in Hywel Dda. They have led the way in utilising the community pharmacy network to deliver vaccines in a safe, convenient and accessible location. Our hope is that come the autumn as much of the network as possible is utilised in the provision of booster vaccines, since our community pharmacists have the skills, space and desire to play as full a part as possible in immunising Wales.”
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