Boots hires 500 extra drivers to deliver essential medicine during covid-19 crisis
Boots has recruited an extra 500 drivers to help it deliver prescriptions to vulnerable people across the UK.
The new recruits have joined the retailer’s pharmacy delivery and collection team which delivers essential prescription medicines to people who are self-isolating or cannot get to their local pharmacy during the covid-19 pandemic.
They will also be used to help introduce prescription delivery in a further 40 Boots stores.
In addition, 400 new delivery vehicles have been added to the retailer’s fleet.
Over the last six months, Boots has recruited on average one pharmacy delivery and collection driver each day, but this was increased to an average 80 per day during March. Boots said many of the new workers had lost their previous jobs or were unable to work normally due to the coronavirus crisis.
Nathan Clements, HR director at Boots UK and ROI, said: “As an essential public service, Boots has a special role and duty to support the NHS in any way we can. I’d like to thank all our colleagues, particularly those who have recently joined us – not only as drivers, but also in our warehouses and pharmacies, and our partners, who are stepping forward onto the front line to help care for patients across the UK.”
Since the pandemic, Boots has streamlined its recruitment process to enable it to speed up the hiring of essential workers. It has reduced the time taken between interviews and contract offers being sent to just two hours in some cases. This means that new employees are able to start jobs the very next day.
