Rowlands Pharmacy (1031748)

Pharmacy context

A local community pharmacy owned by the Rowlands pharmacy multiple. The pharmacy is located on a parade of shops, in a small open shopping precinct amongst housing, in the village of Bedhampton. Bedhampton belongs to the Hampshire borough of Havant.

The pharmacy is a healthy living pharmacy and generally provides services to local residents who represent a cross section of the community. Dispensing is the main activity with approximately 8,000 prescriptions dispensed each month. 85 patients receive their medicines in Monitored Dosage System (MDS) trays either on a weekly or monthly basis. A prescription delivery service is also available.

The majority of prescriptions are received from a local health centre GP practice which is a 10-15 minute walk away where two of the local surgeries had merged into one approximately 4 weeks previously. The pharmacy also receives prescriptions from a further 3 surgeries across the local area. 90% of prescriptions are obtained electronically and the remainder are either brought in by walk-in customers on foot or collected from surgeries on patients’ behalf.

Historically the pharmacy had provided support services to one of the surgeries involved in the recent merger with another practice but as yet these services had not been fully taken up by the new merged practice as yet. For example additional support with inhaler technique for targeted patients and supplying the surgery with patients’ blood pressure readings. However, as a healthy living pharmacy, Blood Pressure monitoring continued to be available and inhaler technique advice is provided under the pharmacy’s asthma support service. Further services include weight management and participation in the alcohol scratch card scheme.

The pharmacy also participates in the provision of a Joint service designed to help improve the physical health of men with prostate cancer. The service is called ‘True NTH Exercise and diet Project’ and is delivered jointly between Surrey University, the local hospital, the pharmacy and the patient.

Additional services include medication use reviews (MUR)s with 180 patients having received a review in the last four months since the start of the current financial year. The New Medicines Service (NMS) is available and 48 patients have benefited from the service in the current financial year to date. The pharmacy also provides instalments of Methadone and Buprenorphine to approximately 12 patients, 3 of whom have their doses supervised by the pharmacist.

The pharmacy also provides free Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) under Patient Group direction (PGD). Chlamydia screening kits are available and free condoms are provided under the Hampshire ‘Get-it-on’ scheme. The pharmacy proposes to provide a winter flu vaccination service next winter.

Whilst the pharmacy offers a range of services the majority of day to day activity was spread between NHS dispensing, the preparation of MDS trays and the provision of MURs, NMS consultations and general patient consultations.