Write a commentNewpharm Pharmacy based at the Health Village in Newry are just one of many local businesses that have had to adjust to post Covid-19 reality, with social distancing, protective wear, counter screens and a delivery service all becoming an important part of normal working life.
Despite all the change in recent times it is reassuring to see that some things do stay the same, and so it was, when John Downey from Friar Tucks called with a special delivery of lunch for all the staff, from the Monaghan Street restaurant. Yes a Friar Tucks Chicken Burger is one Newry product to have withstood the test of time.
It was a much appreciated gesture from Friar Tucks who wanted to show their thanks for the frontline key work Newpharm are doing in keeping the people of Newry supplied with their medical needs, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.
Of course Friar Tucks themselves have had to adapt too, reopening last week with an on-street counter at the front of the store where people can pick up their order either after phoning in or ordering at the counter.
Tracy Conlon, Pharmacy Manager, Newpharm Pharmacy was one of nine staff members on site on Friday who enjoyed the lunchtime treat. The staff are all doing their best to keep the business going in what are unique circumstances.
Tracy explained "It's as busy as ever, just a different way of working. Obviously we don't have very many walk in prescriptions. The doctors actually send the prescriptions to us now. Very few people are able to collect their prescriptions from GP surgeries. It has to be sent over via the community pharmacy. Each community pharmacy in Newry will collect the prescriptions assigned to that particular pharmacy and we do them up.
"We are working differently. We do collections during the day, we work on them and people usually collect them that evening or the next day. As best we can we are trying to be committed to the patients so they can obtain their medication safely and effectively."
A lot has changed in the past month or so as Tracy explains "The girls are always wearing protective clothing, that's a big change for everyone, as well, having to wear this PPE. Social distancing we are trying to keep, it is two metres, but within a pharmacy it can be one metre because of the nature of the pharmacy.
"We have reduced staff numbers to accommodate less people in the dispensary. We try to do it as best we can. We wear all the protective gear to try and protect each other but also to be safe for the customers coming in as well."
The pharmacy has also introduced a volunteer delivery service to get prescriptions out to the more vulnerable patients that can't come into the shop.
Like other stores keeping stock of everything was a challenge at the beginning of the lockdown. Tracy comments "Stock levels have always been an issue in pharmacy and it has impacted over years really. There are times we can't get our hands on medication. At the moment I don't notice a real big difference to that. There had been a shortage of inhalers at the very start. When this kicked off a lot of people were getting supplies of inhalers. People that weren't using them regularly were ordering them from their doctor. It left a shortage for a few weeks."
On present stock levels Tracy adds "As far as I'm aware, there is nothing I can see that's impacting on patient health."
Staff were under pressure at the beginning of the crisis in what was a very busy period.
"The girls have been great, they have stepped up to the mark. We are trying to keep things very positive. A few weeks ago it was really busy, a lot of pressure put on us, but we've come through that and I think we are all working well as a team." says Tracy adding "They all feel safe. We have put up the barrier and there is that safety element there. You have to keep your staff safe, and at the end of the day, they do feel safe. A number of them said to me once the barrier went up, they thought it was a great job. It has done its job for us. We don't know how that is going to go in the future. It could be a long time before that barrier comes down. We are not really sure"
