Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2021

GHP / Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards 2021 39 , Jul21545 Based in Glasgow, Mackie Pharmacy has been a family-run business and dedicated to serving the local community for more than 20 years. We find out a little more in the wake of it being awarded Best Community Pharmacy 2021 – Glasgow. Best Community Pharmacy 2021 - Glasgow John Paul Mackie, Founder and Owner of Mackie Pharmacy, graduated from Strathclyde University in 1994 and has worked as a community pharmacist ever since. Purchasing his first in 1999, he now owns seven pharmacies in the Glasgow area, all of which are family run, and prides himself on being a community pharmacist with both community and team wellbeing at his heart. In order to differentiate itself from competitors, Mackie Pharmacy offers a range of services, including extended opening times from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays, in five out of the seven branches. There is also a 24/7 collection point in six out of seven branches, and free prescription delivery to all patients within the communities served by the pharmacy. In addition to this, all team members receive the living wage, as well as free gym membership, standard five weeks holiday, plus a zero-hour contract ban. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, John took several measures to ensure that these communities continued to be looked after. For example, he ensured that the Cardonald community was still properly served, by extending his shop unit to accommodate further automation. “I installed a Synmed MDS Robot to ensure continuity of supply to our existing patients,” John explains. “At the request of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde we were able to take on additional MDS patients when existing pharmacies were no longer able to maintain their services. This further supported the additional Glasgow communities of Bearsden, Drumchapel, Giffnock, Paisley and Shawlands.” John also installed a Pharmserve 24/7 prescription collection point to allow patients to collect their medication 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This encouraged social distancing and improved access to key workers and shift workers, as well as those who were shielding or isolating. Plus, John extended his free delivery service to include all patients residing in the Cardonald community in order to further support those shielding and isolating. “Pharmacists were redeployed to focus on the quality of the clinical services that we offered and to deliver positive clinical outcomes for patients,” he continues. “It also allowed one of these pharmacists more time to focus on completing their Independent Prescribing Qualification.” The innovative integrated automation of the dispensing process was able to free up John’s team’s time so they were able to focus on delivering quality patient care with positive patient outcomes, for example, introducing a flu vaccination service, hepatitis B and HIV drug services, pharmacy first minor ailments service, medicines care and review service, emergency hormonal contraception prescribing service, opioid substitution therapy, monitored dosage service, UTI and COPD prescribing service, and lateral flow distribution service, amongst others. John’s restructuring has certainly benefited the local community, and all his patients within the area can now enjoy longer opening hours, have instant access to pharmacists, and enjoy free prescription delivery, even if they have not used Mackie Pharmacy before, with same-day delivery or collection from GP phone prescriptions available too – something which has proved extremely popular. Pharmacists can even have patient phone consultations or video link calls and have any required medication ready and dispensed or waiting for collection. “During the current pandemic these options have been particularly well received and needed in the Cardonald community,” says John. “At its core is encouraging social distancing while protecting my pharmacy team. It has proven particularly popular with key and shift workers and those shielding as they can reduce their risk by collecting their medication at quiet times 24/7 or having it delivered. By being structured in this way we have been able to maintain all scheduled opening hours and services thought the covid pandemic.” Recently, as a reward for all his effort and hard work, plus his dedication to duty, John and the team at Mackie Pharmacy were awarded the prestigious accolade of Best Community Pharmacy 2021 – Glasgow in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards - and very well deserved it is too! Contact: John Paul Mackie Company: Mackie Pharmacy Web: www.mackiepharmacy.co.uk