The partnership means that patients will have the opportunity to collect their prescriptions from local hub stores on site and will enhance patients’ experience while visiting the hospital, helping to reduce waiting times and freeing up staff to focus on inpatient care. 
 
Part of a wider Trust project looking at ways to manage workload and improve patient experience; the current Royal Marsden pharmacy will continue to manage clinical trial prescriptions, inpatient supply and ward distributed drugs, while Boots UK will run the outpatient pharmacy as well as providing patients with access to a range of retail products such as toiletries and over-the-counter medication.
 
To support patients closer to home, where appropriate, Boots will offer Royal Marsden outpatients collection from a nominated Boots community pharmacy with a planned move of providing patients with access to specialist counselling services from these nominated Boots UK community pharmacies. By working in partnership together, Royal Marsden and Boots UK are able to identify areas where patients can be supported closer to their home.
 
Boots UK also has a number of specially-trained Macmillan Information Pharmacists that are able to support patients and loved ones affected by cancer in the majority of Boots stores across the UK.
 
Jatinder Harchowal, Chief Pharmacist at The Royal Marsden, said: “The new partnership between The Royal Marsden and Boots UK will build on the skills, clinical and community experience of both organisations to provide benefits to patients, visitors and staff whilst enabling the hospital pharmacy staff to develop the pharmacy service for its inpatients and those patients receiving clinical trials.”
 
Peter Bainbridge, Director of Pharmacy, Boots UK added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with such an esteemed oncology hospital, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Cancer support is something close to Boots UK’s heart and we’re proud to be working together to help offer their patients the best possible pharmacy service.  This partnership allows us to build upon our community pharmacy presence, helping to ensure we are located in the places where patients  want and need us most. We understand that convenience and the right support is important to our customers and we are committed to continuously seek new opportunities to provide better, more accessible healthcare solutions.”