Wellington pharmacy plan rejected

Plans to open a pharmacy inside a Telford medical practice have been thrown out by councillors over fears it could cause a loss of jobs in the area.

Wellington Health Centre had hoped to be able to convert consultation rooms into an in-house pharmacy open for 103 hours a week. The building of a dispensary would also have created six jobs at the practice.

But concerns had been raised by Wellington Town Council which feared the plan would damage trade for three existing pharmacies in the town including Lloyds, located just metres from the practice's front door.

The town council also claims the proposed opening hours were 'unnecessarily long and cannot be policed adequately at night'.

Last night Telford & Wrekin Council's plans board, which rejected the plans, heard that the NHS had already issued the prospective pharmacy with a licence.

But Councillor Nigel Dugmore, who has worked as a community pharmacist for the past 25 years, said that did not mean the NHS approved of the plans.

"The Primary Care Trust very heavily regulates pharmacies and the only way to get a pharmacy without anyone being able to stop you is to say you could open for 100 hours," he said.

"It's a bit ingenuous to say the NHS supports it because they don't have any choice."

Members of the plans board were also concerned about the knock-on effect on the existing three pharmacies in the town.

Councillor Dugmore said: "I can guarantee that if this pharmacy goes ahead then Lloyds will close.

"It doesn't work that just because the surgery is issuing 26,000 prescriptions every month they are distributed between all the pharmacies in Wellington.

"There would not be enough NHS business to keep all the pharmacies open. There is a real risk there will be a loss of jobs because it will put definitely one, maybe two and possibly all three other pharmacies out of business."

By Pam Griffin