SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has been seeing at first-hand the services provided for the local community at Boots in Broughton.
Mr Rowlands was invited to visit Boots and find out more about the support it provides to local customers and patients.
He said: “It was great to have the opportunity to meet with the team at Boots in Broughton and see for myself the range of retail and pharmacy services they deliver to our local community.
“As the NHS in Wales continues to struggle and people find it difficult sometimes to make an appointment with a doctor it is good to see how pharmacies like Boots have stepped up to support the system.
“Pharmacists in the stores are able to offer health advice and dispense prescriptions which all helps to ease the pressures on local surgeries and hospitals.
“I was also very impressed to hear about the company’s partnership with MacMillan Cancer Support and the introduction of Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists who are specially trained to offer support and advice to cancer patients and their families.
“I was delighted to see the retail and pharmacy services on offer and even had the chance for a make-over with an expert.”
Boots has operated in Wales for over 125 years and remains as committed as ever to providing high-quality patient care and supporting staff and customers.
It has 90 stores in Wales and employs 1,600 people and is one of the largest employers of healthcare professionals outside the NHS.
As the leading community pharmacy in Wales, Boots is a key partner to the NHS and Health Boards and its pharmacies play a vital role in providing patients with medicines and convenient and accessible healthcare services.
Boots is also an active community partner, working with organisations such as The Hygiene Bank and MacMillan Cancer Support to strengthen community resilience and support people to lead happier and healthier lives.
In partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, Boots has trained over 4,000 Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists, BMIPs. Their training covers a mix of medical and emotional support and equips them to help patients on a range of subject matters, from medication concerns and side effects of treatment through to fertility and what to eat to live well with cancer. They can also guide people to more specialist sources of information and support, both locally and nationally, depending on their needs.
The news comes as research by Macmillan estimates there are more than three quarters of a million (780,000) people living with cancer in the UK who are finding it harder to access general healthcare and treatment as a result of the pandemic.
