Lancaster University Pharmacy is moving to the centre of campus from its current location at Bailrigg House, up on the far north of campus. Following years of effort by the University and a campaign by last year’s LUSU Vice President (Welfare and Community), Mia Scott, its new home will be in the middle of the spine, next to Bowland College and Subway. This new location is hoped to make visits to the pharmacy more convenient for students and staff alike.
The opening date of the new pharmacy is expected to be sometime in the coming weeks; the university are waiting on an official NHS sign off on the project before an exact date can be confirmed. Almost all of the renovation on the new shop has been completed and stock can already be seen to be filling the shelves, making it highly likely that the opening is imminent.
The proposed opening hours for the new pharmacy will be significantly longer than its previous opening hours: 9.30am – 5.30pm between Mondays and Fridays, and 10.00am – 1.00pm on Saturdays. Vacation opening times are set to be: 10.00am – 2pm between Mondays and Fridays, and 10am-1pm on Saturdays. These times will be the minimum opening hours according to an agreement with the NHS.
This move has been a long time in the making. A University spokesperson said, “The University have been trying to get the pharmacy moved for nearly 10 years from Bailrigg House as being the centre of campus makes it more convenient for students and staff…It remained up at Bailrigg House when the doctor’s surgery moved from there many years ago, due to the contract they were on with the NHS.”
The re-location has been met with strong support from students. Sally, a first year, said: “I went down to order a prescription on Monday. Went to collect it on Tuesday and it wasn’t there. So I had to go back again to get in on Wednesday. I’ve wasted so much time going back and forth to that place.”
Along with filling out prescriptions and providing over-the-counter medications, the pharmacy can also offer advice on how to treat certain medical complaints. This is expected to improve accessibility to general day-to-day advice about minor issues, rather than making an appointment to see the GP.
