Horsham pharmacist wants to ‘make a difference’ by joining vaccine roll out

Shailesh Amin, pharmacist owner of Nories Pharmacy in Oakhill Road, Horsham, has said all pharmacies can make a contribution to the fight against Covid.

He added: “Being a part of a roll out is important to us being community pharmacists.

“If we can do flu vaccines why can’t we do Covid vaccines. Capacity will vary pharmacist to pharmacist.

“We may not be able to do 1,000 a day but even if we’re doing 1,000 a month we’re making a difference. Lets hope it happens.”

Shailesh’s call comes as the West Sussex County Times and its sister titles launch their A Shot In The Arm campaign, urging the Government to turn pharmacies into Covid vaccine centres.

He said getting the vaccine is a’no brainer ‘. Shailesh added: “You have to do it.”

Pharmacies offering vaccines will allow staff to alleviate any concerns or queries patients may have, he said.

Shailesh added: “[I have] probably one of the best teams in the world.”

Eddy at Rudgwick Pharmacy said due to the limited size of his premises he will be unable to take part in the vaccine roll out.

He told the County Times: “If we could be involved we would love to but we would have to do it safely which we can’t.”

LloydsPharmacy, which has branches in Billingshurst, Henfield and Horsham, said it has participated in the tender process to help the NHS deliver the vaccine roll out programme.

A spokesman added: “We would be delighted to be involved and look forward to confirming how we can support.

“With the MHRA approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, we believe there is now a bigger role for community pharmacy to play in helping the government to meet its vaccination targets.

“Lloyds Pharmacy will continue to work with the NHS and sector organisations to understand how we can assist in the critical roll out of this vaccine.”

Boots, which has pharmacies in Horsham, Southwater and Storrington, said training and clinical preparations are underway at the firm’s first vaccination site in Halifax, due to open later this week.

Two additional vaccination sites in Huddersfield and Gloucester will also open in the near future, and discussions are underway on the potential to expand this to more mass vaccination sites in the coming months, which would greatly support NHS capacity, Boots said.

Seb James, managing director of Boots UK and ROI, said: “Boots has already conducted over two million COVID-19 tests on behalf of the NHS and now we are proud to play our part in vaccinating the nation.

“Our vaccination sites are clean, clinical environments, in accessible, convenient locations, like high streets, and we have extensive experience in vaccination services, having carried out over a million flu vaccinations in this winter flu season alone.

“We hope to help the NHS and enable more people to get the vaccination quickly. I am incredibly thankful for the whole team’s support in helping make this happen.”