A Bitter Pill

Four months after giving the go ahead to a new pharmacy for Totnes, the NHS has overturned its own decision, leaving patients furious and the company involved disappointed and out of pocket.

The company told me: “We just feel very, very sorry for Totnes.”

PharmaDerma was one of two applicants to fill the gap left behind at Leatside Surgery when Boots closed. The independent chemists, which has just one branch in Okehampton, was chosen after an 18 month process involving negotiating a lease with the surgery, and planning to provide a brand new clinic with ear care, a travel clinic, an on site physio and other services.

Will Pike is one of the two founders of PharmaDerma and he would have been in charge of the Totnes branch. “We were all delighted (when we got the approval). We interviewed 300 people at the surgery and they were veryexcited.”

Then Well Pharmacy in town – a part of the UK’s second largest pharmacy chain Bestway National Chemists Ltd – appealed against the decision. The appeal document states: “It is not surprising that some patients would have preferred if Boots had not closed as they were using it to access pharmaceutical services, but the closure of Boots does not itself create any gap in provision that can be filled by the grant of this (or any other) application.”

But Mike Mintrum, chair of the Leatside surgery patient group, said Boots had provided around half of all prescriptions in Totnes and after it shut patients reported waits of an hour at Morrisons pharmacy, as well as shortages of drugs at both pharmacies. Morrisons did not appeal against PharmaDerma’s application being granted.

Well Pharmacy, in is appeal document, said “The ‘concerns’ raised by the patients all came within the first few months of the Boots closure. Throughout this period, both Well and Morrisons were in regular contact with the Commissioner (for Devon health services) and addressed all concerns that were raised.” Mike said: “Now, having made the decision to grant PharmaDerma a licence, we think that it is not only fundamentally wrong (to overturn this) , they have denied about 15,000 patients a say. So we have a lot of very angry patients.”

A Facebook petition has so far raised hundreds of signatures – including that of Dr Dylan Watkins, now living in France.

It is hoped that the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, will intervene – because PharmaDerma itself is not allowed to appeal. In its decision letter to Mr Pike and his business partner Rob Skornia, the NHS Pharmacy Appeals Committee said there was already a reasonable choice of pharmacy services, and “the Committee is not satisfied that granting the application would confer significant benefits.” It therefore quashed the decision of the Commissioner.

Mr Pike said: “We were hell bent on Totnes – I live in Kingskerswell and would have been running this branch. This took us 18 months and £10,000 in costs. They didn’t really give a good reason why there shouldn’t be another pharmacy.”

What the Health Secretary might want to consider is where this leaves the Pharmacy First plan – which wants to divert people away from GPs and hospitals and into the chemists who can deal with several minor issues once only the preserve of doctors. I asked Well Pharmacy for a comment and at time of publication have not had a response.

The change.org petition is urging the Health Secretary to thoroughly examine the reasons behind the refusal and overturn it.

The appeal by Well Pharmacy stressed that Leatside surgery is only a short walk away from both their branch and Morrisons, and both have parking. But one person who signed says “As a Leatside patient for almost nine years I have direct experience of both before and after losing the pharmacy. Having to struggle to walk into town in extreme pain or discomfort is very challenging.”