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Press releases
June 04 2007 Caroline Flint to visit Flagship Pharmacy Health Minister will see Lloydspharmacy’s smoking cessation services in action Lloydspharmacy is investing heavily to expand the range of primary care services it provides such as heart healthchecks, diabetes testing and blood pressure monitoring as well as smoking cessation services. Managing Director Justin Ash and Pharmacy Director Andy Murdock will be showing the Minister what patients can expect from the Stop Smoking Service when she arrives at the Vauxhall store at 1pm on Thursday 7th June. Lloydspharmacy is offering smoking cessation services in many of its 1,605 branches, including over 300 within GPs’ surgeries. Lloydspharmacy has always been at the forefront of pharmacy development and have had private consultation areas in most of their pharmacies since 2003 and provided free screening services such as diabetes and blood pressure testing to its customers. So far over 1.1 million customers have had a diabetes test at Lloydspharmacy and another 450,000 have taken advantage of the free blood pressure checks. Over the last two years, Lloydspharmacy has responded to the opportunities created by the new Pharmacy Contract by launching a series of initiatives to champion the health of the UK consumer. The company has also been successful at adopting the new ways of working that are required by the pharmacy contract, being the first pharmacy chain to complete over 270,000 Medicine Use Reviews. “We have transformed the business from a retail chemist to a pharmacy focused health company conveniently available in local communities,” said Justin Ash. “We are not distracted by selling crisps and sandwiches. Customers know that when they walk through our doors they are going to receive informed and focused healthcare advice. “Pharmacy is increasingly becoming an integrated primary care provider and this trend is set to continue. It is also becoming more integral to the NHS with the new pharmacy contracts encouraging a transformation of the sector.” “Often people just feel more comfortable asking their pharmacist a quick question rather than ringing up their GPs and asking what may seem at the time a relatively minor question. Our qualified staff will be able to answer questions, recommend health tests or direct them to their GP. 13 million smokers
To help promote awareness of the smoke-free legislation and the health benefits of giving up smoking, Lloydspharmacy is working with The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. Throughout June and July, Lloydspharmacy is attempting to raise £50,000 for the charity by encouraging its customers to make a pledge to give up smoking. Lloydspharmacy will donate £1 to The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation for every pledge card posted in the special collection point in its pharmacies. Mike Unger Chief Executive of The Roy Castle Foundation, said “As a charity that has been actively campaigning for many years for the smokefree legislation the Foundation is delighted to be working with Lloydspharmacy on this important initiative to help people quit smoking. For more information please contact Caroline Flint MP, Minister of State for Public Health, will visit Lloydspharmacy’s new Vauxhall outlet at 1pm on Thursday 7th June. Media are invited to attend. Brief interviews with the Minister can be arranged. Justin Ash and Andy Murdock will also be available for interview. The address is: 8 Flafstaff House, St Georges Wharf, Vauxhall, London, SW8 2LE. If you are interested in attending please contact Stieve De Lance or Steve Marinker. Notes Lloydspharmacy has 1,605 pharmacies across the country. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations. The company employs over 15,000 staff and dispenses 120 million prescription items annually. Lloydspharmacy is the trading name of Lloydspharmacy Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celesio AG based in Stuttgart. Celesio is the leading pharmaceutical distribution company in Europe and is represented in 15 countries. With its three divisions, Celesio Wholesale, Celesio Pharmacies and Celesio Solutions, the group covers the entire scope of pharmaceutical trade and pharmaceutical-related services.
To get involved and have your say, log on to www.roycastle.org/atyc |