The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7436 p99
27 January 2007

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Health secretary visits Assura pharmacy

Health secretary Patricia Hewitt had her blood pressure checked by pharmacy staff during a visit to an Assura health centre in Liverpool last week. Assura’s centre, at Ropewalks, is the first of a new type of health centre being opened by Assura Group (formerly the Medical Property Fund). As well as providing premises for GPs, Assura centres include the company’s own pharmacies and medical facilities to help GPs and other health professionals fulfil Government ambitions to treat patients closer to their homes.

The photograph shows Ms Hewitt (centre) having her blood pressure checked by pharmacy technician Claire McWhirter (right) accompanied by (from left) Gideon Ben Tovim, chairman of Liverpool Primary Care Trust, Deborah Noland, one of the GPs at the centre, and pharmacy manager Ed Okotcha.