Two New MS’s Visit Covid Vaccination Clinic in Prestatyn
Published on: 19th October 2022 | Updated on: 8th November 2023
On Monday 14 June, Sam Rowlands MS (Con, North Wales) and Gareth Lloyd Davies MS (Con, Vale of Clwyd) visited Rowlands Pharmacy in Prestatyn to see first hand how their new Covid 19 vaccination service was working, and to find out more about the community pharmacy network in north Wales. Rowlands in Prestatyn remained open throughout the lockdown periods and is now one of only 16 pharmacies in Wales involved in giving Covid Vaccinations from their branch.
Commenting on the visit, Gareth Lloyd Davies MS said:
“It’s wonderful to see the role that Community Pharmacies, such as Rowlands in Prestatyn, have in helping with the Covid-19 Vaccine roll out, and it would be great to see this continued across pharmacies in North Wales and the Vale of Clwyd as a part of the booster jab programme. Pharmacies play a crucial role in supporting our NHS here in Wales, not only in their role of dispensing medication but also with relieving some pressure off of GP surgeries by offering free confidential NHS advice, common ailments services, emergency contraception and emergency supply services. We need to do more to raise the profile of what can be offered via your local pharmacy here in North Wales and I must commend their services to our area staying open right through the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns.”
Sam Rowlands MS said:
“I was delighted to be able to visit the pharmacy and personally thank the staff for all their hard work. Rowlands Pharmacies is one of only 16 in Wales, running Covid clinics and I was very impressed with what I saw. It is great idea to offer local people the chance to have their vaccination while shopping in the High Street. We need to do everything we can to encourage everyone to have the jab and the more dedicated local clinics we have the better, especially as mass vaccination centres will soon be decommissioned. Pharmacies already give flu jabs so it is only natural to use them to help control the virus in the coming years.”
Judy Thomas, Director of Contractor Services at Community Pharmacy Wales, commented on the visit:
“CPW was absolutely delighted to welcome Gareth Lloyd Davies MS and Sam Rowlands MS to visit a community pharmacy so quickly into their terms of office. Both of them showed a real interest in the range of services being delivered through the network, and saw first hand how adaptable a community pharmacy can be by experiencing first hand a Covid vaccination clinic.”
Sam Arnold, Regional Leader for Rowlands Pharmacy in North Wales, said:
“Accessible healthcare on the high street is a key part of what we do as community pharmacists. By offering a Covid vaccine service in such an accessible location we have provided an opportunity for many people in Prestatyn to get their Covid jabs in a really accessible way and we are hopeful that the community pharmacy network will be a key part of the roll out of Covid booster vaccines too.”
Picture caption (left to right)
Sam Rowlands MS; Judy Thomas from CPW; Sam Arnold, Tomasz Libucha and Kim Noble from Rowlands; and Gareth Davies MS.