Pride Pharmacy dispensing 10,000 prescriptions every month
Pride Pharmacy opened its doors at Royal Derby Hospital at the start of February and is one of the busiest pharmacies in the region, dispensing around 10,000 prescriptions every month.
Clive Newman, Chief Pharmacist at UHDB and Managing Director of Pride Pharmacy said: “We recognise there have been challenging moments in the first few weeks and would like to thank everyone who has visited us for their patience. We appreciate it’s busy and wait times are longer than we’d like them to be, but we are looking to improve in several areas in the coming weeks and months. The team are working really hard and sharing ideas for how we can improve.
"Patients who previously collected their prescription from a local Boots store now benefit from delivery to a place of their choice via Royal Mail (tracked service). This service is primarily designed for patients seen at remote/teleclinics to prevent the need to travel to the Royal Derby Hospital and patients have welcomed the increase in delivery options. We’re on a journey to how we want Pride Pharmacy to be in the years to come.”
The team recently welcomed Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive for University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, to showcase the refitted store and to also share their ideas for how to improve services for patients.
“I was really pleased to hear how many staff chose to stay with us and transfer from Boots – their enthusiasm for the service they provide to our patients was evident and the ideas they had to share were fantastic. We are delighted to welcome them to Team UHDB. The link between Pride Pharmacy and UHDB allows us to have a closer relationship and I’m looking forward to working together to align the services offered by Pride Pharmacy to the Trust’s aims.
"It’s a really exciting opportunity to make a difference to our patient’s experience at every point of their journey.”
Alongside the outpatient dispensary service, Pride Pharmacy also took over the retail space offering over the counter medicines, toiletries and baby products.
Geoff Neild, Associate Director for UHDB working in a commercial capacity for Pride Pharmacy, has been leading the retail arm of the business.
“We’re listening to our customers and making more products available each day – we’re trying to make our range as broad as possible. We’re only a small store so we have to focus on what our customers are looking for frequently whilst trying to be as competitive as possible with our prices. We’ll regularly review our stock and ensure we adapt and offer seasonal products too.
"UHDB staff discount is also still available on retail and over the counter products.”