The Leatside Surgery Patient Group (LPG) is a Patient Participation Group (PPG) for patients of Leatside Surgery, Totnes.
Since April 2015, it has been a contractual requirement of NHS England for all GP practices to have a PPG and to make reasonable efforts for this to be representative of the practice population.
A licence to operate a pharmacy in Leatside Surgery was awarded by NHS England to PharmaDerma who also operate a Pharmacy in North Devon. This was good news for all Leatside patients who had struggled to get prescriptions filled quickly by Morrisons and Well pharmacy.
The good news was shattered by the management of Well lodging an appeal against the issue of the licence on the grounds that the existing two pharmacies could cope adequately with demand in Totnes. The appeal was allowed and the licence for PharmaDerma has been withdrawn.
The appeal by Well, using a specialist consultancy firm, makes a number of assertions that are open to question and relies on the argument that patient complaints about the loss of the Boots Pharmacy, have ,been minimal. This is not the case, but what is the case is that NHS England did not take into account the views of the 15000 patients of Leatside surgery, many who are elderly, vulnerable or have mobility issues.
The Leatside Patient Group believes that the reasons for withdrawing the licence do not stand up to close examination and we have therefore organised a petition to the Secretary of State for Health to overturn the NHS England decision and allow the provision for a pharmacy at Leatside surgery.
If you are as angry as we are about this matter, please sign, Thank you.