Dispensing to patients at centre
A health centre pharmacy that was licensed after a three-year campaign is finally open.
Prescriptions can be picked up from the Co-op Pharmacy dispensary by patients seeing the four GPs at Balderton Primary Care Centre, Lowfield Lane.
The pharmacist, Mr Stephen Foster, said it was both a pleasure and a relief to be in the new dispensary.
“I am impressed with it so far. We are servicing only a fairly small surgery at the moment,” he said.
“Everyone sees how convenient it is and it is nice to be in the same area as the doctors. People seem to be impressed with it being open.”
The dispensary will operate alongside the Gordon Davis Pharmacy on Main Street, Balderton. Gordon Davis was bought by the Co-op in 2006.
Mr Foster, a pharmacist for 25 years, was the first pharmacist at the Main Street shop when it opened in 1984.
Since then he has worked in various dispensaries in Newark, and transferred from Gordon Davis on Sherwood Avenue, after being offered the Balderton health centre job in August last year.
He helped in the Main Street shop until the new dispensary was ready in January.
As well as most prescription medicines, the dispensary sells over-the-counter remedies and products.
There is also a small consultation room, which is not yet complete. Mr Foster said eventually he would use it to hold medicine reviews with patients in private, and could take blood pressure and blood tests, to help free up GPs’ time.
Mr Foster said Balderton was growing and patient numbers were increasing, meaning their workload would rise.
He said it was good that the village was serviced by two pharmacies after the fight for two licences was successful.
Newark and Sherwood Primary Care Trust first turned down a second Balderton pharmacy licence application by Gordon Davis Pharmacy in 2004. The trust argued there was no need for a second pharmacy.
Gordon Davis appealed against the decision, which was upheld by the Family Health Services Appeals Authority in November 2004.
After a public outcry, the trust looked at the issue again on the basis that although a second pharmacy was not needed, it was desired by the community.
The trust’s replacement, Nottinghamshire County PCT, then granted the second licence on October 20, 2006.
Although it seemed the campaign, by residents and Balderton Town Council, was at an end, W. R. Evans (Chemist) Ltd, the owners of Manor Pharmacy, appealed against that decision.
Manor Pharmacy, which has two branches in Newark, said the PCT should have invited formal tenders from other pharmacists.
However, the appeal was dismissed in March last year by the NHS Litigation Authority’s Pharmacy Appeals Committee.
