NEWPORT'S newest pharmacy is already delivering on its aim of making it easier for people in part of the city to collect prescription medicines.
Malpas Brook Pharmacy, in a new building next to Malpas Brook Health Centre off Goodrich Crescent, opened late last year, after what Geoff Thomas - who runs it - says was a protracted process to persuade the relevant authorities of its worth.
Pharmacist Geoff Thomas with pharmacy assistant Ceri Bowe
The pharmacy, he says fills a gap in provision for patients, particularly in the lower Malpas Road and Brynglas areas, that has existed since Sainsburys moved from its old Wyndham Terrace site some 10 years ago.
It is on a small site, but packs a lot in, with a counter and retail area, and a large pharmacy area where medicines are sorted and stored - and it also has a consultation room where patients can be assessed for a range of ailments, and can receive flu jabs.
Meg Snelgrove, pharmacist at Malpas Brook Pharmacy in Newport
"The consultation room is a vital part of the pharmacy because we can provide advice and care for common ailments that means people don't always have to go to their GP surgery," said Mr Thomas, who also runs the Malpas Pharmacy, around a mile further up Malpas Road, on the other side of the motorway junction.
An image of how Malpas Brook Pharmacy will look when the external works have been completed
"We've definitely filled a gap in pharmacy provision, though it took three applications over several years.
"But it was approved in the end, and it is needed, particularly for those who have mobility or transport problems. It is within walking distance for a lot of people."
The pharmacy will feature a system that will enable people to track the progress of their prescriptions, and also - should they need to pick it up later - receive a text to let them know it is ready.
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Work to rearrange the car park that serves the surgery is set to be done soon, which will provide more spaces, including for GPs.
There will also, said Mr Thomas, be a charging point for electric vehicles, and bike storage space.
There will be a walkway too - ramped for people with disabilities - linking the surgery to the pharmacy.
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