Constituent concerns regarding the pharmacy service in Bonnyrigg

Monday February 21st 2022

Colin Beattie MSP
Colin Beattie MSP, Midlothian North & Musselburgh, writes his monthly column for Midlothian View

I am aware of constituent concerns regarding the pharmacy service in Bonnyrigg. The length of time people are waiting for prescriptions, the inconsistent hours of some pharmacy services followed by reported supply issues to some mediations need to be addressed by these pharmacies and a proper service restored to customers.

I have voiced my anger over the decision to reject the pharmacy application for Rosewell and still fail to understand why the needs of the community were ignored during this process. Large competitor pharmaceutical companies had more weight in the decision-making process than the people of Rosewell, the local Health and Social Care Partnership and the elected representatives – to which the application achieved cross-party political support. There is a clear demand for an additional pharmacy service and Rosewell has the capacity to accommodate for this.

It is unacceptable that the sometimes misleading statements provided by competitor pharmacies were not held to any account, especially when we hear the reports of issues customers are now facing at those pharmacies in Bonnyrigg. It is clear the process itself is archaic and protectionist. I have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP to address the issues faced by applicants during the application process for pharmacies.

I have taken constituent reports seriously and followed up with all the pharmacies in question to which I am awaiting response. Should any constituents wish to share their experience with me, please do contact me.

In other news, I know the most recent storms may have caused damage throughout the constituency. I would ask everyone to please be aware of rogue traders and scams at this present time. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in cold callers targeting people whose homes were damaged and offering to carry out repair work. Stay aware and if you do need an approved trader for repairs, always check approvedtrader.scot

I am restarting my face-to-face surgeries in the constituency at Dalkeith on the last Monday of the month and Musselburgh on the first Monday of the month. For further information, please do contact me at Colin.Beattie.MSP@parliament.scot.

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