Some pharmacies are running out of medicine and have financial issues, a county council meeting has heard.
A recent meeting of Lincolnshire County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee was told of the issues despite the ‘pharmacy first’ initiative to encourage people to use them rather than a GP showing signs of being a success.
However, the National Pharmacy Associating says there’s a £2bn black hole that means 99 per cent of the facilities in the country aren’t financially stable long term and 64 per cent could close in the next year.
Documents submitted to councillors also described that medical supplies were a ‘daily battle’.
In Lincolnshire there is a particular shortage of HRT gels, the meeting was told.
South Holland District Council’s representative on the board, Coun Glynis Scalese, who works in health care, said another issue was a lack of liquefied medication.
“I do medication two or three times a day with three clients who can’t take tablet form,” she said. “They’re really struggling to get liquid medication, particularly ramipril, propranolol (both to treat high blood pressure), meaformin (for type II diabetes) and atorvastatin (for high cholesterol).
“With ramipril we have a 30-day refrigeration life on that and we have to put the prescription in when we pick one up but we’ve now been told we can’t do that.
“We get to the position where the client is nearly at running out stage and what do we do?”
Paul Jenks, chairman of Community Pharmacy Lincolnshire responded that it was a ‘real challenge’ due to a shortage in getting the ingredients for the medication, while highlighting ‘demand is much lower’ for liquid medicines.
He said it would be a case of ‘mitigating shortages’ including looking at the swallowing capabilities of patients.
“HRT, I think, is where there’s a global storm and it’s positive we have more people talking about menopause and seeking support for menopausal symptoms,” he said. “What that does do is place an increased demand on the supplies and stocks that are available.
“We’ve seen it with other medicines such as for ADHD.
“People are taking more ownership of their health and wellbeing, which is a more positive thing and something all healthcare people would encourage that.
“But it does place increased demands on what can be limited resources across a system that’s not able to increase overnight.”
Coun Scalese praised the pharmacies in both West Elloe, Spalding, and Knight Street, Pinchbeck, saying ‘they do a remarkable job’.
