YORK’S first drive-thru pharmacy has been operating at a health centre over the Easter weekend.

Patients have been able to sit in their cars outside Haxby Group Pharmacy, located at Haxby and Wigginton Health Centre, while staff pass their medicine safely through a window.

They have also been able to obtain over the counter medicines or healthcare advice relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pharmacist Sonisya Ramasamy said that even though patients had been following social distancing policies whilst collecting their medication, the pharmacy had adapted the way it operated over the weekend to help those who were concerned about coronavirus.

"This innovation will help protect both our patients and pharmacy team," she said.

Richard Harrison, director of Haxby Group Pharmacy Limited, said the window was specially created for such a purpose during the swine flu epidemic.

"I designed the pharmacy 10 years ago during that and it was built shortly afterwards, so asked the builders for a fully opening window and strategically placed it so it opens into the car park, just in case we ever had a repeat of that pandemic," he said.

"We adapted the way that we operate over the weekend so our pharmacy was able to operate as a drive through.

He said the drive-thru service, which had not been done before in York, had worked well on Good Friday and so had been extended to Saturday and today as well.

He said the service was available not just for patients at the health centre but all patients from all surgeries - although they would specifically need their GP to electronically send the prescription to the pharmacy.

He said all GP surgeries in York had been open for their normal daily working hours on Good Friday and today, with many offering telephone or video appointments.

Asked whether the drive-thru could operate again on normal weekdays, he said that it wouldn't be safe to operate it at times when the health centre was in full use, as it required the full width of the car park, 'so we tried it this weekend as an experiment.'

He added: "It has worked really well. There's been lots of positive comments from patients and on our Facebook posts.

"We'll likely set it up again on weekends when required, and it would also be useful during inclement weather."

Comments on the pharmacy's Facebook page included: 'What a brilliant idea,' ' Hope it works out well and thanks for everything you are doing at this difficult time,' and 'We are so lucky to have such good service on our doorstep.'