Derbyshire Community Pharmacy Team ‘Highly Commended’ at Independent Community Pharmacy Awards

Good Life Pharmacy, Derbyshire

The team, run by Lindsey Fairbrother, has always worked hard as a group but Covid-19 has provided additional challenges and brought them closer together.

The team includes two pharmacists, two dispensers, counter assistants, apprentice dispensers and pharmacy students.
They have grown the number of services they offer and individually taken on more responsibility. The dispenser has been training as a checking technician and the pharmacy has taken on an additional apprentice.   The two locums are trained in ENT examination and vaccination, and over the past 18 months the team has developed a private prescription service through Lindsey’s independent prescriber qualification.

Private income has grown significantly, counter sales have increased, gross profit has risen and the pharmacy was the top flu vaccination provider in the area. The team has been brilliant during the pandemic too.  Shielded patients have received deliveries of medicines from staff, often when they have been making their way home. Other deliveries have been organised into schedules that local helpers deliver for the pharmacy.

The pharmacy supports the training of staff and hosts pre-registration pharmacists. The team also provides a travel vaccination service, ENT consultations, UTI and skin treatment, EHC, supervised consumption, flu vaccinations, wheelchair hire, veterinary medicines, private weight loss and stop smoking services.

The pharmacy also applied to be part of a pilot to research the use of virtual consultations in pharmacy through NHS England.