Queen’s pharmacist chosen as COVID-19 vaccination site

18 January 2021

John Bell & Croyden – established in 1798 and pharmacists to Her Majesty the Queen since 1958 – has been chosen by NHS England as a Covid-19 vaccination site.

The pharmacy, which has kept its doors open through two world wars and now a pandemic, is the first McKesson UK community pharmacy to participate in the vaccine rollout. The flagship store in London’s Harley Street Medical Area will help support the Government’s nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Qualified pharmacy staff at John Bell & Croyden, who have also been delivering rapid Covid-19 tests since December 2020, will administer the vaccines, which will start with priority groups as outlined in the government’sCovid-19 Vaccines Delivery Plan.

Patients will be provided the option to book their vaccination appointment at John Bell & Croyden through theNHS booking system.

Toby Anderson, CEO of McKesson UK, said:

  • “We are extremely proud to be playing our part in the national vaccine effort, with Her Majesty the Queen’s pharmacy being chosen as our first vaccination centre.
  • “This site has been a trusted partner to its local community for over 200 hundred years and throughout that period has played a leading role in establishing pharmacy as we know it today.

Robin Winfield, General Manager of the John Bell & Croyden , said:

  • “Our experienced and qualified staff have already been administering Covid-19 tests to hundreds of people and will be going the extra mile to ensure people can receive their Covid-19 vaccine over the coming weeks.”
  • Today, the first high street pharmacies began administering vaccines across England as part of the Government’s national vaccine rollout plan.
  • The industry has called on the Government to enable community pharmacies to do more. Current regulation limits sites to those that can deliver a minimum 1000 vaccines a week. Smaller pharmacies from across the UK have asked that these rules are relaxed.

Toby Anderson added:

  • “We are in discussions with the Government to do more, with an offer for LloydsPharmacy to deliver 100,000 vaccines per week across more than 600 sites on the table, if a small adjustment to the rules is made.
  • “This would ensure that hundreds of thousands of people across England receive the vaccine sooner rather than later.”
  • “With most people only living 3 miles away from their local pharmacy, it makes complete sense for community pharmacy to play an even bigger role. It is one of the most convenient options for people during this difficult and uncertain time.”

Notes to Editor:
For media enquiries please contact:
Sarah Newman, Senior Communications Manager
07408 832 845
Sarah.newman@mckesson.uk

JB&C will begin vaccinating on 25th January. To coordinate press/media visits on this day please contact Sarah on the details above.

About JohnBell&Croyden:
Established in 1798 and pharmacists to Her Majesty The Queen since 1958, John Bell & Croyden’s iconic Wigmore Street store has introduced hundreds of globally sourced wellbeing and beauty products to the UK market over the last 222 years.

Passionate about putting healthcare and wellbeing first and with over 12,000 products and accompanying advice services, the beautifully designed destination store offers world class holistic services as well as a curated selection, all handpicked from the best products across health and beauty worldwide.

London’s Luxury Pharmacy is unlike no other in the world and has been dubbed the ‘best kept secret’ amongst celebrities. It is known for being the first retailer to bring many exclusive ranges and cult products to the UK.

InResidence, John Bell & Croyden’s in-house treatment and health services brand, offers customers unique experiences such as dietetics and nutritional consultations, bespoke facial treatments and a private GP services – all available to book at johnbellcroyden.co.uk

Other COVID-19 services:
John Bell & Croyden are also a government-approved provider of the latest COVID-19 ‘Test to Release’ programme. The pharmacy was selected by the UK government as one of the few approved providers to offer the testing kits to international travellers arriving in England. This allows travellers to cut their quarantine period if they receive a negative COVID-19 PCR result from Day 4 of arrival onwards.

During the pandemic, the pharmacy also launched a same day and next day coronavirus testing service which is currently available to customers in store. In December, they announced an even faster extension to this service with the launch of a new COVID -19 Antigen Rapid Test Cassette that delivers rapid, accurate results in just 15 minutes. This is available to customers for just £49 making it an affordable solution.

For more information visit:https://johnbellcroyden.co.uk

About McKesson UK

McKesson UK is a leading provider of integrated healthcare services to the NHS specialising in medicines, pharmaceutical care and primary care patient services. It comprisesLloydsPharmacy,AAH Pharmaceuticals,LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare,John Bell & Croyden,MASTA,LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor,ECHOandOptimed Healthcare.

With over 22,000 employees, including over 300 nurses, more than 1450 community pharmacies, a UK-wide logistics network and dispensing in excess of 150 million items a year, McKesson UK works in partnership with the NHS, community pharmacies and medicines manufacturers to help UK citizens live longer, with better health. McKesson UK provides customers, the NHS and patients with high levels of service, value, efficiency and innovation.

McKesson UK is part ofMcKesson Europe.McKesson Corporation, headquartered in the United States, is the majority shareholder in McKesson Europe AG. McKesson isone of the world’s largest healthcare organisations, employing over 78,000, andis a global leader in healthcare supply chain management, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care and healthcare technology solutions.

About LloydsPharmacy

LloydsPharmacy has around 1,400 pharmacies across the UK. These are based predominantly in community and health centre locations and include over 200 LloydsPharmacy in Sainsbury’s stores. The company employs over 19,000 staff and dispenses more than 150 million prescription items annually.

LloydsPharmacy is part of McKesson Europe AG. With strong brands and about 38,000 employees, McKesson Europe is active in 13 European countries. Every day, the company serves over two million customers – at around 2,300 McKesson-owned pharmacies and at over 7,000 participants in brand partnership schemes. With more than 100 wholesale branches across Europe, we supply more than 55,000 pharmacies and hospitals every day with more than 100,000 pharmaceutical products. McKesson Corporation, Irving, Texas, USA, is the majority shareholder in McKesson Europe AG. McKesson Corporation is a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care, and healthcare information technology.