Addison Lee, London's premium managed car service provider, today announced a partnership with Charac, a tech platform for pharmacies, to provide free winter flu jabs for its drivers at independent community pharmacies across London.
Addison Lee has invested heavily to protect the health and wellbeing of drivers and passengers since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. It is the only private hire vehicle company to have Safety Screens across its entire MPV fleet. In addition, it has provided PPE for all drivers and deep cleaning of vehicles through its industry leading Safer Journey Initiative.
The Charac platform provides Addison Lee's drivers with direct access to local, independent pharmacies in the areas of London where they live and work. Whilst those over 65 will have access to free flu jabs, Addison Lee will fund the jabs for those between 50 - 64. This is a further commitment to keeping these essential workers safe and healthy.
"We're delighted to partner with Charac to enable our drivers to access flu jabs as they become available," says Patrick Gallagher, Chief Operating Office at Addison Lee. "Community pharmacies are a key part of our health service and we are pleased to support them through this initiative. We're entering peak winter flu season in a very different set of circumstances and this is an important step to avoid adding additional strain on the NHS. We have invested to support drivers during this difficult year, and we will continue to look for ways to keep them safe and healthy."
"COVID-19 has had a significant impact on almost all sectors - independent community pharmacies are no different. Our partnership with Addison Lee is the first in a programme of relationships with responsible corporations that will help drive more customers into independent community pharmacies," says Santosh Sahu, Founder and CEO of Charac. "Charac launched in lockdown, but we've had such a positive response from the independent pharmacy community. This kind of partnership underscores the opportunities that emerge for independent pharmacies when they digitise. We're proud to dedicate ourselves to the health and wellbeing of both society and independent community pharmacies alike."
Charac is a technology platform that enables independent community pharmacies - many of whom lack even a basic digital presence - to digitise their current processes and provide omnichannel interaction with patients through phone, video, mobile app and desktop. This allows them to compete with both larger competitors and digital-only pharmacies to safeguard their businesses and create new revenue sources.
Throughout the pandemic Addison Lee drivers and couriers have continued to provide services to key and essential workers in London. The Donate A Ride initiative raised £170,000, which was given to NHS frontline staff in free rides during the height of the pandemic. Over 9,000 journeys were provided to NHS staff across 63 hospitals
