Tuesday August 16th 2022
NHS Lothian have provided a comment following the Midlothian View article yesterday Rise in unplanned pharmacy closures in Midlothian “very dangerous” says MSP in which Craig Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, raised concerns about the number of unscheduled and avoidable pharmacy closures that are routinely happening in Midlothian.
Scott Garden, Director of Pharmacy and Medicines, NHS Lothian, said:
“We are aware of the current situation of ongoing short notice pharmacy closures in Lothian. We understand this to also be an issue across Scotland, with pharmacist and pharmacy staff availability the most common reason for an unplanned closure, and there is ongoing dialogue with Scottish Government.
“NHS Lothian regularly engages with pharmacy contractors, to remind them of their obligations to deliver services within their contracted hours. There have been numerous communications to remind contractors of the steps that must be followed when an unplanned closure occurs, for example: informing the local GP practices, neighbouring community pharmacies, contacting vulnerable patients and ensuring deliveries have been made to patients expecting medicines supply.
“NHS Lothian continues to meet with the area and regional managers of multiple pharmacy groups, and we are currently collaborating on area-wide plans to manage and minimise the impact of closures on local communities.”
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