Natasha Asghar, Senedd Member for South East Wales, has backed a planning application for an automated 24 hour prescription collection service at an award winning pharmacy in Newport.
Mayberry Pharmacy in St Julians has been successful in obtaining a Welsh Government grant to install a machine to dispense prescriptions only to have planning permission refused by Newport City Council.
The pharmacy is to appeal the decision.
Natasha Asghar said:
“Mayberry Pharmacy dispenses some 15,000 prescription items a month.”
“The installation of an automated prescription dispenser would give people more convenience and flexibility.”
“It would allow patients to collect prescriptions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, thereby reducing queues at peak times and allowing pharmacists more time on meeting patients needs face to face.”
“I would like to thank Jon Smith and his team for allowing me to visit and to hear about the challenges facing pharmacists in Wales.”
“I wish them every success in their appeal which will be of great benefit to the 5,000 patients Mayberry Pharmacy serves.”
Jonathan Smith of Mayberry Pharmacy in St Julian’s, Newport said:
“Natasha saw first hand the ever expanding range of services we offer, and pledged to help us raise relevant issues in the Senedd and with the local health board, including our hope to get Newport Council to reverse its planning decision and allow us to install an automated collection point. She grasped the challenging environment of community pharmacy where we want to be enabled to deliver a wider and more modern range of services.”
Russell Goodway, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Wales, said:
“Community pharmacy is changing rapidly and Natasha appreciated what those changes might look like, especially the shared commitment across the whole community pharmacy sector and across all political parties to increase the number of independent prescribers. Jonathan Smith at Mayberrys is currently just one of five IPs in Aneurin Bevan. Within a decade we are committed to seeing one in every community pharmacy in Wales.
