Supporting safe and efficient pharmacy service provision

A message from Claire Nevinson, Pharmacy Superintendent:

As we head into the Winter season, we turn our attention to      the Winter Flu Jab Service and for some stores, the COVID-19 Autumn booster programme. Our contribution to protecting communities against flu and COVID-19 is significant, and I am grateful for the commitment and exceptional care that will be shown by all of our healthcare teams throughout this busy period; from the great conversations, advice and care over the counter, to providing vaccinations and support to our most vulnerable patients. I would encourage you to continue to keep a more general focus on your pharmacy standards during this time and to regularly apply the principles of ‘Store Standards Perfect Day’ to ensure that your day-to-day pharmacy service provision continues to operate safely and efficiently.

As we wait with anticipation for the launch of new services through the Primary Care Recovery Plan, I am excited by the opportunity for community pharmacy to demonstrate its worth to the healthcare sector in the UK and I know that you, our Boots professionals, will perform brilliantly because of your care and desire to help deliver positive patient outcomes. However, I am all too aware of the pressures you face daily and understand how precious a resource your time is. To support you, we will continue to introduce technology which improves capacity and maximises safety. Technology has long been seen to provide safety benefits when carefully thought through and as we have seen with the introduction of pack scanning in Columbus, dispensing incidents can be significantly reduced as a result. My team continues to work alongside the teams responsible for developing innovative technology to ensure that safety is a fundamental principle which is not compromised. We commit to updating you each month through The Professional Standard on the ongoing evolution of our dispensary operating platform.

Finally, I am grateful to everyone in healthcare and pharmacy who has completed the ‘Our Voice, Our Future’ survey and provided feedback and comments. This survey is an important opportunity for you to share how you are feeling about your role, and for me and my team, as well as leaders across the business, to consider how we can continue to support you and your team and improve your experience within Boots. Feedback is important all year round, so I encourage you to talk to your leaders regularly and contact The Pharmacy Helpdesk if you have any specific professional concerns or matters to discuss or highlight.