Advice on prescription deliveries during the coronavirus outbreak from a Preston pharmacist

But Shahid Umar is appealing for other customers to use the delivery service sparingly at the Plungington-based pharmacy where he works, so that those most at risk from Covid-19 can benefit from staying at home during the current outbreak.

He estimates that delivery requests have doubled since the lockdown began – with an extra 100 drop-offs being made in the last fortnight.

The Post has received reports from elsewhere in Central Lancashire suggesting that some people over 70 – who are strongly advised to follow stringent social distancing measures during the pandemic – are making trips to collect their prescriptions when they could have had them delivered to their homes.

Many independent pharmacies in the region offer a free delivery service and some chemist chains which had begun charging for a doorstep drop have reverted to doing so at no extra cost.

Mr. Umar, who works at DDL Davies Pharmacy on Plungington Road, says that the business has risen to the challenge of meeting the demand for deliveries – because so many customers are in high-risk categories for coronavirus.

“About 80 percent of people who use any pharmacy will be those who have been told to isolate for 12 weeks [because of existing medical conditions or treatments] or are over 70 or in some other way vulnerable [to the virus].

“There are people who are still coming out of their house because they either don’t know about the delivery option or because they are just down the road and think that they are only going to be out for five minutes. To some people it seems a bit silly to ask us to deliver just a few doors down, but we are happy to do that – and we’ve done a lot more walking deliveries.

“A lot of people have been very understanding and have told us that there is somebody else that can collect their medication for them – and we’ve actually got a message stuck on our window so that people know if they can get somebody else to come to the shop, then it gives others a chance to have their medicines delivered,” Mr. Umar added.

Last week, the government announced a £300m funding boost for pharmacies to help them cover the additional costs that many of them are facing as a result of coronavirus. However, Mr. Umar said that pharmacists had been told that the money would eventually be clawed back.

“The impression given to the general public is that pharmacies are being looked after very handsomely – and we are being given a lot of money to cope with the pandemic. But it’s not extra money, because they want it back.

“We’re using extra manpower to get everything done – not to mention the stress of the situation. But we’re still here, we’re still upright and we want to support people.”

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