Carlisle

Why I work in Carlisle “Pharmacy life in Carlisle has been very harmonious over the years; there has always been friendly co-operation between the various contractors — formerly independents, now mostly multiple groups as everywhere. The local pharmaceutical committee has worked hard to encourage new service commissioning by Cumbria Primary Care Trust and there are now a number of local enhanced services available for pharmacies to provide, including most recently smoking cessation, supply of emergency hormonal contraception and a coeliac supply scheme.” — Jeff Forster, chief officer, Cumbria Local Pharmacy Committee

Population 100,739

Local authority Carlisle City Council is a Labour-controlled authority with 52 councillors. “The Council has achieved a good range of improvement across its services; a number of service performance measures have moved to high performance levels. In the 2008 assessment the Council scored level 3, which is a significant improvement from the 2007 assessment, which scored level 2. Changes to the use of resources assessment for 2009 onwards place greater emphasis on improving outcomes for the people of Carlisle City.” (Audit Commission)

MPs One, John Stevenson (Conservative).

Health service NHS Cumbria is the primary care trust. “NHS Cumbria is one of the fastest improving health trusts in England, according to a newly published Care Quality Commission report. Between April 2008 and 2009, data provided by the county’s primary care trust showed a 16 per cent increase in standards for the services it provides directly, and a 19 per cent rise for how it commissions care from health providers.” (Westmorland Gazette) This puts the organisation among the six most improved PCTs in the country. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust was deemed excellent for quality of care and fair for use of resources in the latest Care Quality Commission Health Check 2007–08.

Pharmacy School There is no pharmacy school in Carlisle, the nearest is the University of Central Lancashire, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Local pharmaceutical committee Cumbria LPC represents pharmacies across Cumbria, including Carlisle. There are 104 pharmacies in Cumbria, including 23 in Carlisle, of which seven are independents.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society branch Carlisle is in the Society’s East Cumberland branch, which includes 111 members and 39 registered. There are no preregistration trainees in the branch and no Society fellows.

Open space Carlisle is a busy industrial and market town, containing Cumbria’s only cathedral. The town is known as ‘the border town’ and serves as a main shopping town in North Cumbria and for southern Scotland. The Lanes is Carlisle’s main shopping area in the city centre. The historical city is well situated near to Hadrian’s Wall and is surrounded by beautiful countryside, including Rickerby Park a traditional Victorian park located on the banks of the River Eden.

Schools Carlisle Infant School is a “good” school. Stanwix School is “Outstanding”, Trinity School is “good”, Newman Catholic School is “satisfactory with good features” and Caldew School is “satisfactory” (OFSTED).

Commuter links Trains to London Euston (4 hrs) (West coast mainline). Motorway links: M6 to the Midlands and the south, Scotland via the M74/A74 towards Glasgow and the North. The town is 56 miles (90 km) west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the A69.

Property prices Two bed flat: £75k to £120k; three bed semi: £120k to £155k; four bed detached: £195k to £300k.