Shropshire community trusts sign new pharmacy contract after Lloyds chemist closures
Health officials in Shropshire have signed a contract for a new pharmaceutical supplier after the "challenging" closure of Lloyds chemist branches.
High Street services, community hospitals, mental health units and clinics were given just 12 weeks’ notice that Lloyds was closing its local pharmacies as part of its withdrawal from the market.
The move – before the group’s abrupt closure of all 237 outlets at Sainsbury’s supermarkets and review the future of its 1,300 branches this month – meant that vital supplies could have been halted.
In Shropshire, two community trusts were affected as well as Marie Curie, the cancer charity, causing chief pharmacists to call for action to protect patient supplies.
Susan Watkins, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust chief pharmacist, said: “It was an incredibly challenging time for the trust. It’s not as easy as you think to get a replacement provider, the contract we had was incredibly complex and couldn’t be delivered by a standard community pharmacy due to the licensing requirements.”
The trust managed to sign a new deal with Fairview Health, after following an appropriate procurement process.
Fairview is a chain pharmacy operating high street pharmacies as well as having large hubs which serve several other NHS Trusts.
Ms Watkins added: "Community trusts and mental health trusts throughout the country as well as a number of charities such as Marie Curie have been impacted by the Lloyds pharmacy contract cancellations, so it wasn’t just us who had to find a solution.
"I don’t ever want to be faced with this again which is why I’m keen to have a more robust contract in the future, which provides protection for the trust and ensures a much longer notice period is needed."
Fairview Health founder Riaz Esmail, said :“Our experience and expertise allowed us to take over seamlessly so no one in the trust’s area was at risk of going without essential medicines. We were able to do this within three weeks because we have the staff, systems, and knowledge already in place.
“It is inevitable that more pharmacies will close, so now is the time to consider strong, alternative suppliers who have a deep understanding of the sector.”
