Well Pharmacy says it has begun delivering some OTC medicines and other non-prescribed healthcare products to patients’ homes through a new online shopping site.

The company said it had developed the new site “in just over a couple of weeks” in order to meet demand from customers who either do not wish to leave their home or are required not to for medical reasons.

The website allows patients to order OTC medicines and toiletries, as well as Covid-19 related products including face masks and hand wash. Customers can order any number of products with a limit of two of any one item, and must pay a deliver charge of £4 per order to have it sent via Royal Mail.

Well commercial director Jeremy Harrison said: “With uncertainty over how long any lockdown may last, and customers who visit our pharmacy minimising their time with us by just focusing on collecting their prescribed medication, we saw that there was a need to still supply these everyday healthcare essentials that our customers usually buy from us.”

Head of IT and digital Claire O’Connell said the website was launching with “those [products] that customers buy from us the most,” adding that “we aim to add more each week”.

“What we’ve started with… is a basic, functional and secure site,” Ms O’Connell said, explaining that the company would seek to build on this over time.

The move comes as Well's online dispensing facility is placed under increasing demand during the pandemic as self-isolating patients order their prescriptions to be delivered to their homes.