Supporting the NHS – a Q&A with Victoria Hoy, Pharmacy Procurement and IT Manager, Royal Surrey Foundation Trust

Earlier this month we celebrated 75 years of the NHS. This prompted us to take look closer at how we support our amazing National Health Service. We caught up with one of the pharmacists we work with on a daily basis and asked about her experiences of working with the NHS and the working relationship with Alliance Healthcare.

Do you enjoy working for the NHS?

The NHS have had a lot of ups and downs over the years, in particular the challenges we faced with Covid. Caring for our patients is obviously our main priority, so when we do face difficult times, we are like a family who support and help each other through, which is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

How would you describe working with Alliance Healthcare?

Alliance Healthcare are a huge part of our patient care, particularly in the pharmacy world. Knowing that we have a reliable source to provide of a huge range of medications means we can ensure there are no hold ups to care and can continue to look after our patients.  In my experience, the service you provide has always been extremely dependable so when we are rushed off our feet, we know the experience we receive from you will be stress free.

Coming out of the pandemic, how has your work evolved?

We had to become a lot more reactive as our patients and staff got used to us being able to source products quickly and efficiently during that time. This expectation has continued as we move out of the pandemic, so we have learned to adapt our work processes and order medications as soon as we are asked to.

How did you celebrate 75 years of the NHS?

Our Trust brought in ice cream vans and staff were all able to get free ice cream for the day. There were also various events going on within the Trust which allowed staff and patients to celebrate together.

Do you have a Birthday message for them?

Happy Birthday NHS, you have looked after so many people over the years, including many of my family and friends. You provide access to care for all, and I hope you continue to do so for many years to come. Through the bad times and good, I am proud to be an NHS employee.