The MP for North East Hertfordshire, Sir Oliver Heald, has hailed local pharmacies as vital community assets at the official opening last week of a new practice in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

He was speaking as local pharmacist Graham Phillips unveiled the latest addition to his Manor Pharmacy Group. Situated across the road from his existing premises, Manor Pharmacy, in a modern office block owned by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, Mr Phillips describes his new pharmacy as “cutting edge, driven by state-of-the-art technology”.

He has integrated his PMR system with a bespoke Omnicell dispensing robot and two Pharmaself24 automated prescription collection points. “This is the best way of freeing up time so my team can concentrate on our patients,” he said.

“Pharmacists should only do the things that a pharmacist can do, practising at the top of their licence,” he continued. “This means using technology to the absolute maximum and pharmacy technicians to do most if not all of the dispensing. If it was up to me, dispensaries would be pharmacist-free zones.”

Mr Phillips, an Alphega member, has invested over £300,000 in The Letchworth Pharmacy, which features three consultation rooms and offers services including diabetes prevention (part of his award-winning ProLongevity treatment plan), ear micro-suction, mole removal, health checks and access to the pharmacy’s own in-house GP.

The shopfitting was carried out by BAPTT Group, the in-store digital screens are from Healthpoint TV and the external programmable LED digital signage is by Scanlite.

 “The ethos of this pharmacy is simple: to have as clinical a model of community pharmacy as we possibly can, in a way that adds maximum value to dispensing,” said Mr Phillips.