Orrell Park Pharmacy

The change has helped ease pressure on staff, reduce queues, increase convenience, and create space within the pharmacy.

The MedPoint at Orrell Park Pharmacy also serves patients from nearby Station Pharmacy.

We caught up with superintendent pharmacist and owner of both, Diana Cheung to find out more about her experience with MedPoint and the benefits the machine has brought to her patients and team.

Hi Diana, could you tell us about your pharmacies?

Both Orrell Park and Station Pharmacy are busy community pharmacies, they’re near one another, which is why the MedPoint machine is now being used by patients from both!

Orrell Park Pharmacy offers a variety of both NHS and private services, including private GP consultations, phlebotomy services and a travel clinic, which provides users with vaccinations and advice.

How did you first hear about MedPoint?

I’m part of a community pharmacists WhatsApp group where we offer each other advice, support and guidance. I’d explained I was looking at a competitor solution and was given information about MedPoint! I was interested to learn more as the original solution I’d looked at wasn’t competitively priced.

I spoke to a member of the MedPoint team who clearly talked through the differences between the competitor model and MedPoint. They gave me lots of information so I could make the right decision for our needs.

What made you choose MedPoint over the competitor?

The team gave me information about the manufacturing process and features of the MedPoint machine. It was more competitively priced, and I was really pleased to hear that MedPoint would be flexible with the design and look of the machine!

This appealed to me as we didn’t want a solution that looked the same as everyone else’s, and I wanted it to fit with my pharmacy branding.

What made you automate the dispensing process?

Automating the dispensing process was a way for our pharmacy to offer more convenience to patients, especially due to Covid-19. Our patients can collect whenever they need to or they can ask a friend or relative to do so for them, which was useful when people needed to isolate due to test and trace.

Prior to the MedPoint installation, we would often have people queueing at the pharmacy waiting for their prescriptions and the queue would sometimes extend outside. I was worried about the winter months and how this would impact patients, especially as many of our patients are over 60.

The MedPoint machine was a way for people to collect prescriptions at a time that suits them, without needing to queue or enter the pharmacy. Not having as many people needing to queue inside or outside of the pharmacy has allowed us to focus on delivering our services and having quality face to face consultations!

Due to online pharmacies, supermarkets and Amazon, many people aren’t prepared to pay a delivery charge at all. Delivery requires additional resources and costs, so MedPoint was our solution, as we were able to enable 24/7 collections at no additional cost to our patients.

How has the installation of a MedPoint machine benefitted your patients? Have you received any feedback you’d like to share with us?

One bit of feedback that stuck with me was a patient who’d let me know they were moving away from the area, they’d still be travelling past the pharmacy, just not when we’d be open, so they’d planned to switch to a pharmacy nearer their new home. However, MedPoint meant they didn’t have to make any changes, they could stop and collect even though we’d be closed!

The machine has given our patients convenience and people are really embracing using it as it’s straight forward. We still get people signing up now, a year later and that’s both existing and new customers.

Following your installation, approximately how much time are staff spending dispensing prescriptions?

I’d say that since the installation, approximately 30% of the prescriptions we handle are now dispensed by the machine, which has really given my staff time back.

How did you find the training process?

We were given all of the information we needed to get started. We were also able to continue sharing the training amongst our staff, as not all were able to attend the initial training session due to the pandemic.

Whenever I had a question or needed guidance with navigating the machine, someone from MedPoint was always willing to help.

How did your employees react to the MedPoint installation? Did they note any key benefits?

When I told staff I’d made the decision to install a MedPoint they looked forward to it, especially as we’d be the first in the area! It felt great to be the first to try and bring something new to the area.

My staff also knew it would help relieve pressure and at the time due to the pandemic, they were feeling the pressure more than ever – people were understandably stressed and worried due to Covid-19, but it meant my team were facing an increase in demanding and sometimes challenging behaviour.

Once the installation was finalised and the machine was being used, they noticed that service levels were definitely increasing and that less people were needing to queue around the pharmacy.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience with MedPoint?

MedPoint is one of the best things that happened to the industry in recent years! The pandemic has made the industry progress digitally a lot faster and solutions like MedPoint have helped aid these changes which bring convenience and efficiency.

Want to learn more?

If you’d like to find out more about MedPoint and how we could help your pharmacy, don’t hesitate to get in touch!