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A vital support

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A vital support

For the past 18 years, Ceri Bath has been the face of her pharmacy and a vital line of support for dozens of patients who need their medicines delivered to their homes

Planning, patience, a caring attitude and organisation are essential skills in Ceri Bath’s job as a medicines delivery driver for the Pontypool branch of Mayberry Pharmacy, a family-run community pharmacy group based in South East Wales. Arriving at the pharmacy each day at 11am, Ceri collects the morning’s batch of prescription medicines, including those for housebound patients on her patch before delivering them directly to patients’ homes.

On the move

Ceri covers a wide area, visiting between 35 and 40 patients each day, although in the past she has been known to make up to 100 home visits in a day. Each day, Ceri intersperses her route with trips back and forth to the local GP surgeries, to pick up and drop off more prescriptions and repeat prescription request forms. All the while ensuring that she returns to the pharmacy in time for the prescriptions to be processed by the dispensing robot by 2.30pm each day.

If at any point the pharmacy receives a call from a patient or doctor requesting an urgent supply of medicines, then Ceri could end up retracing her steps, often several times a day. While some would be left frazzled by this frenetic schedule, Ceri insists that she enjoys being constantly on the move. “I like being out and about and meeting people, and the weather never bothers me,” she says. “I’ve got into a routine and know exactly how long it will take me to drive between different places. so, if a patient rings up to ask when I will be there with their medicines, I can tell them a certain time.”

I get on very well with everyone in the pharmacy and have got to know all the receptionists at the local doctors too. Everyone is very friendly; we are a close-knit team.

The extra mile

With so many home visits to make each day, Ceri doesn’t have much time to spend with each individual patient. Nevertheless, she has got to know many of the people she visits personally and is always willing to go the extra mile for them if needed, be it making a hospital appointment, tracking down a family member or simply being a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.

“I can’t stay too long with each patient as it will delay me, but some of them do want to chat, as they might not see anyone else all day. It depends on the person. Sometimes, I’ll be in and out very quickly, but if someone is unwell, I will ring up their doctor or if they get upset and have a cry, I can’t just walk away. They really rely on me and I feel compassionate about them,” she explains.

Despite her frenetic schedule, Ceri always makes time for patients when they need her

Happy accident

Ceri feels so comfortable in her role that she has stayed in it for the last 18 years, although she says that getting the job in the first place was purely “a happy accident”.

She had popped into Mayberry Pharmacy in Pontypool to buy something, when her friend Deb, who worked there at the time, mentioned that there was a part-time job going for a medicines delivery driver. A brief chat with owner and managing director Paul Mayberry later, and the job was hers. The role was initially split between Ceri, Deb and Deb’s sister-in-law Diane, and the flexibility suited Ceri perfectly while her children were still young.

Ceri completed a medicines counter assistant (MCA) training course early on and initially divided her time between advising people on OTC medicines at the counter and delivering prescription medicines to patients’ homes. As time went on however, she started doing more and more delivery driving, as she found she preferred to be on the road, although she still helps out in the pharmacy occasionally if she is needed. In addition, she regularly attends training evenings and talks on medical conditions to ensure that she keeps her healthcare knowledge up-to-date and to help her gain an insight into the patients’ health problems.

“I know how to recommend OTC products to people and it’s good to have an understanding of the conditions the people I’m visiting have,” she says. “I have been offered the chance to train to work in the dispensary, but it’s not for me. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in one place all day.”

Family affair

As a family-run business serving close-knit communities, Mayberry Pharmacy has developed a tradition of employing several members of the same families. So, when Ceri’s daughter was looking for a Saturday job at the age of 14, it seemed like a natural choice for her to join the pharmacy team too. Like her mother, she enjoys pharmacy life, but prefers to be helping patients in-store. Paul agreed to take her on initially as an apprentice, and now she has recently attained the level of accuracy checking technician (ACT).

Pharmacy delivery drivers are often unsung heroes of community pharmacy, going about their work behind the scenes, but Ceri has always felt like an important and respected part of the Mayberry team. She says: “I get on very well with everyone in the pharmacy and have got to know all the receptionists at the local doctors too. Everyone is very friendly; we are a close-knit team.”

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