Volunteers sign up to help deliver meds to borough’s vulnerable

Across Northern Ireland, over 170 pharmacies have signed up to a scheme being overseen by the Community Health and Development Network (CHDN).

The initiative has been set up to co-ordinate the safe delivery of medication to people who are unable to collect it themselves during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and to assist with queue management within the pharmacy setting.

Community groups who meet the required criteria can register with CDHN and will be matched with pharmacies for either or both of these functions.

Seven pharmacies in Mid and East Antrim have signed up to the scheme, with 24 volunteer drivers in place to ensure medications are safely delivered to those patients who require the service.

Councillor William McCaughey, who manages his family pharmacy business in Kells, said: “There is a raft of volunteers in Kells working alongside Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership, who are co-ordinating our delivery service and it has been working very well since the beginning of this crisis. When the advice was published for the over-70’s and those with Coronavirus symptoms or various health conditions to self-isolate, we were able to provide delivery or collection of their prescriptions thanks to those volunteers who had offered to help. It has been a very popular service and I expect it to continue to be needed as we move through this pandemic and if we do experience a second wave of Coronavirus.”

Mid & East Antrim Agewell Partnership is working to expand the service to support all community pharmacies in the borough, and will be supported by the Council’s Community Planning team. Community groups who meet the required criteria can register with CDHN and will be matched with pharmacies for either or both of these functions.

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