New outpatient pharmacy opens

Boots store manager Julia Pereira and NGH chief pharmacist Paul Rowbotham cut the ribbon of the new Boots pharmacy on Hospital Street 

From today, patients at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust (NGH) can benefit from a more convenient prescription service, thanks to a new partnership with Boots UK.

The hospital has joined forces with Boots UK to change the way it dispenses prescriptions to people following an outpatient appointment. 

The new store is located on Hospital Street opposite the existing hospital pharmacy.

Chief Pharmacist Paul Rowbotham said: “We’re committed to delivering the best possible care for our patients. This initiative means our outpatients will have shorter waiting times for prescriptions and more convenient and accessible pharmacy services. 

“The new arrangements also mean that we can reinvest our highly-skilled NHS pharmacists in ward-based work so they can concentrate their efforts on ensuring our inpatients that need the most care, get the necessary medication as quickly as possible.

“It will also mean that when patients are ready to be discharged they will get the drugs they need to take home more quickly because we’ll have more of our NHS pharmacy team available to dispense the drugs and offer specialist advice."

Peter Bainbridge, Director of Pharmacy, Boots UK added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust to help offer their patients the best possible pharmacy service. We are continuously seeking opportunities to provide better healthcare solutions and this partnership not only ensures we are located where patients want and need us most, but also allows us to work together to support patient care in the local community and make a real difference to people’s health and well being.”

As well as the enhanced prescription service, the new Boots pharmacy offers hospital employees and visitors retail and over-the-counter facilities, as well as the same professional advice and support that’s available in its high-street pharmacies.

Boots UK was chosen to provide NGH’s outpatient facilities following a competitive tendering process aimed at improving the delivery of pharmacy services and increasing patient safety and choice.