Across Benalla there are a number of essential services that must remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic - one of those is the Jenny Milner-Marsha Watson Pharmacy.
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The Ensign had a chat with Ms Watson last week to get an update on the changes that have been implemented so it can stay open.
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1. What changes have you made to allow the pharmacy to stay open with the current restrictions in place?
At first we limited the number of people in the shop at any one time by asking all those dropping in prescriptions to wait outside and come back later.
However, as we need to stay well so that we can remain open we are now keeping people out of the shop to minimise our exposure to possible infection.
Customers can enter from the front or the back, but are met by a staff member at the door to help them.
We have also placed marks on the floor for people to stand on to maintain their social distance.
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2. Can people order online and is there a method for people to pick up prescriptions without coming in?
People can order their prescriptions by phone, fax or email.
We have also been collecting prescriptions from people’s homes and delivering the medication back to them.
Many more customers are leaving their prescriptions at the pharmacy, so they can simply phone us with their order and have them home delivered.
We have been delivering up to about 5 km out of town and also to Violet Town where we have a depot.
People in other outlying towns can have their medication mailed to them.
Many patients are now having telehealth appointments with their doctors.
The doctors can then transmit the patients’ prescriptions to us for home delivery.
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3. With pharmacies listed as essential services what measures are being taken to protect staff and customers against potential infection?
We wash our hands all the time.
This is the best way to avoid infection.
We also try hard not to touch our faces.
We also spend a lot of time wiping down counters, eftpos machines, door handles, chairs etc.
We sign the prescriptions for the customers, so we don’t have to share pens.
If any staff member has a sore throat or a sniffle, they stay at home.
As I stated above, we are trying to keep customers out of the shop to avoid potential contact with an infected person.
We are encouraging our customers, especially those with chronic illness or who are over 70 to stay at home and have their medication delivered.
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4. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced as a consequence of government restrictions?
The biggest challenge is the increased workload and all the deliveries.
It might sound easier not having customers in the pharmacy, but its actually much more time consuming racing around getting everything ready for them.
The pharmacy assistants working the shop floor are certainly getting their steps in every day.
And the phone never stops ringing, really never.
We are all getting very tired and we are missing the interaction with our customers.
Another difficult aspect is the provision of the flu vaccination service.
We have been able to obtain some personal protective equipment for the vaccinating pharmacists to wear, but it’s difficult to give many vaccines in one day because we have to keep the people at a safe distance from one another and we have limited space.
However, we are steadily working our way through it because there is an increased demand for flu shots this year.
We have a flu clinic organised for May 14, but many people are coming in and putting their names on our list in addition to that clinic.
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5. Is there anything you would like to add?
There has been stock problems with several medications in very short supply.
So far we have been managing to keep on top of it but people need to be aware that trying to stockpile medications only results in shortages for other people.
I would also like to thank my amazing staff for their efforts in coping with this situation and for the support they give each other.
I would also like to thank all of our customers for their patience at this time.
We really are all in this together and I want every one of us to stay well.
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