The Alliance Healthcare Pharmacy Awards 2009 celebrate the delivery of excellence and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and reward individuals and teams who have excelled in their sector. 

We won the Award for Pharmacy Services and Innovation

My wife and I are pictured below having just received the award.

“The award recognises both outstanding services and innovative programmes offered by the Pharmacy to customers and the local wider community.   This may include new clinical services developed in partnership with a local surgery, PCT or self help community group. Entries were judged on how the new service had positively impacted on the health and wellbeing of patients in the local community thus raising standards of clinical excellence.”

10th November 2009

Choose Well – Ask Ray Hall, YOUR pharmacist

Recently, NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, NHS Hull and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals launched a joint campaign to help local residents choose the right treatment.
 
The Choose Well campaign provides patients and the public with information on the services available in their local area, and what the most appropriate service is for them to use depending on their needs.
 
The campaign was launched during National Ask Your Pharmacist Week, when the public is being reminded of the range of services available at their local pharmacy (chemist).  A pharmacist is a highly trained healthcare professional who can give advice on common illnesses and the medicines you need to treat them.
 
A common health problem, which does not require being seen by a doctor or nurse, could be treated by a visit to the local pharmacy as opposed to going to the GP. Hall's pharmacy has a dedicated quiet  area away from other customers where you can speak to the pharmacist more privately.
 
Kevin McCorry, Locality Pharmaceutical Advisor, NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, said: “The campaign will raise awareness to help people to assess their symptoms and choose the right NHS service. This means they get the best possible treatment for their condition and reduces pressure on both hospital and GP services. Pharmacies may offer Medicines Use Reviews (MURs for short). An MUR is a discussion between a pharmacist and the patient regarding the patient’s medication and provides information and support to them in getting the most out of their medicines”.
 
Estimates suggest that the NHS could save about £380 million a year if one in four patients consulted their local pharmacist about minor ailments instead of their GP.
 
Ray Hall of Hall's Pharmacy, Beverley Road, Hull said: “Pharmacies offer a great service; they are qualified experts who can offer remedies and health advice for a whole range of illnesses. We can also now sell many medicines that used to only be available on prescription which may mean you don’t have to see your GP in some cases.
 
“Pharmacies are often more convenient as they are closer to home. Many now have private consultation rooms and you don’t need an appointment.”
 
Given the potential pressure that the NHS could come under this winter, ensuring that patients are not using the NHS services inappropriately, and that services such as GPs and A&E are not overburdened, will be crucial. Choosing well ensures patients will receive the best possible treatment, whilst leaving emergency services to those who need them most.

Raymond C. Hall Pharmacy, serving you for over 40 years, getting better every year...

Electronic Prescription Service passes one million mark 

NHS Connecting for Health's Electronic Prescription Service has now transmitted more than one million electronic prescription messages – a figure which continues to increase on a daily basis.

The first stage of the roll out of the Electronic Prescription Service is well underway with pharmacies Nation Wide and allows existing prescription forms to be printed with a unique barcode in preparation for the next stage. When a patient takes this 'barcoded' prescription to a community pharmacy which has also implemented this first stage, the pharmacist can simply scan the barcode to retrieve the prescription details from the Electronic Prescription Service.

Greater efficiencies in the dispensing process are already being seen as prescription details no longer need to be manually typed-in by the dispenser. Over time, patients, GPs and community pharmacy staff will see further benefits as paper prescriptions start to be replaced by electronic ones, in the second stage of roll out. Raymond Hall said whilst there is much work still to be done, passing the one million mark demonstrates that the system is working well. As is our commitment we will continue to work with patients and healthcare professionals to ensure that the service meets their needs."

The first stage of the roll out is set to gather momentum over the coming weeks as more of the systems required to operate the Electronic Prescription Service in GP practices and community pharmacies are granted approval to deploy. Mr Hall commented, "we have successfully upgraded our systems to include this new and helpful system, in the past we said One Call does it ALL, now we can expand on that even further...

I list the benefits for patients here below.

The new system will bring benefits for patients and their family or representatives, obviously the extent of which will depend on individual circumstances.

These include a more convenient service with a reduction in trips to the GP practice just to collect, or request a paper prescription, this is particularly helpful for patients receiving repeat medication.

The system gives patients greater freedom of choice, making it simpler for them to use the dispensing chemist who is the most convenient or helpful to them.

Potentially, it will also reduce pharmacy waiting times as your Pharmascist will have the opportunity to prepare prescriptions in advance of the patient's arrival, not that our customers have to wait, we pride ourselves on prompt, personal service.

Raymond C. Hall

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