West Hill Pharmacy closes over weekend until it clears backlog

Joy Knight said she only has enough remaining medication for one day

An 82-year-old woman said she is angry and "had to cry" after a pharmacy with her prescription closed for three days.

West Hill Pharmacy in Portishead, North Somerset, said a high volume of prescriptions were being redirected to them after other local pharmacies shut.

Joy Knight, 82, has an outstanding prescription for a chest infection.

"I have enough medication for today, but if I don't take it over the weekend, the infection might come back," Mrs Knight added.

The pharmacy explained on social media that it had exceeded its "maximum safe capacity to operate".

"Your safety is always our priority. Sadly we have realised we are not invincible," it added.

'It's just despair'

It comes after the government introduced the Pharmacy First scheme, under which pharmacists can carry out consultations and issue antibiotics.

While some pharmacy groups welcomed the scheme, others expressed concern over the number of chemists that had to close down, as well as funding for the programme.

"When a pharmacy closes, its patients tend to pile in to the next nearest viable pharmacy," West Hill Pharmacy added. "This compounds our workload.

"We remain steadfast and committed to healthcare provision and right now we're just trying to survive.

Mrs Knight added: "I feel desperately sorry for these poor people working there. It's just despair."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said earlier that the Pharmacy First scheme would free up an anticipated 10 million GP appointments a year.