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More independents get in touch with Independent Community Pharmacist to express their views...

My peace of mind, sanity and goodwill is destroyed!

I have a heart-wrenching story where a GP practice across the road, 30 yards away from my pharmacy, has absolutely destroyed my business.

My turnover has been reduced to 20 per cent and is still going under. I am sitting here in the pharmacy looking at the entrance door to open and not a customer enters during the whole day.

The same surgery has been bullying and harassing me for the last three and-a-half years to claim my license. 

You will be shocked to hear how he has got this far and, more importantly, how many institutions I have contacted for help! I want to tell you to what extent he has gone to destroy me for my licence.

I want to tell you how the surgery head is conducting illegally by breaking every rule in the book. I have now been harassed so much that I am not able to function.

My peace of mind, my sanity, my goodwill in trying to save my independent community pharmacy is destroyed. He has elevated to a very high position in NHS England and they did not take any action when I complained with evidence.

I want to let other pharmacies and GPs know how their greedy fellowmen are blackmailing, bullying and harassing an independent pharmacist.

Anonymous pharmacist.

We should stop all extra work for free!

We have been slaves for the NHS for years, yet no-one cares! We all should stop extra work for free and that includes what our local GPs want us to do instead of them.

Rajendra Shah, Metro Pharmacy, Hertfordshire.

We didn’t have a pharmacist on the premises at all

I work in a community pharmacy in West Kirby called Welsh’s Pharmacy. We have had new ownership since May 2025 (Jhoots).

Our delivery driver was let go overnight and 80 per cent of our patients are vulnerable and house-bound and have been unable to get their medicines.

Recently, we have not had a pharmacist on the premises at all. We usually do not get informed that we have no pharmacist until late afternoon most days.

We have to return prescriptions to the spine and return them back to patients. We are concerned for patient safety. Weekly patients are unable to get their medicines blistered or delivered from other pharmacies at such short notice.

We have many vulnerable weekly patients who have mental health issues and have been suicidal. We have tried our best to contact every blister pack patient and weekly patient to signpost them but this has become extremely difficult.

We have contacted our area manager but have received little to no help or advice on what we can do. He informed us he does not deal with staffing or locums, so he can't help us. Patients have gone nearly two weeks without their medicines and rely on us to deliver them.

Please can someone offer support or advice on what we can do? We have contacted our union rep but, again, haven't received any guidance on this issue. We have also contacted the General Pharmaceutical Council and NHS England but we are not getting any support. 

Staff member, Welsh's Pharmacy, West Kirby.

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