Councillors unanimously back a call for urgent intervention on pharmacy crises

TIVERTON councillors have unanimously backed a call for urgent intervention after residents were left queuing for hours to collect essential medicines - only to find their prescriptions missing or out of stock.

- by LEWIS CLARKE lewis clarke@reachplecom @DevonLiveNews

A motion brought forward by Councillor Beckett Fish at November’s meeting of Tiverton Town Council highlighted a deepening crisis in pharmacy provision.

The number in the town has fallen from four to just two, leaving Boots and Jhoots to manage the demand. However, Jhoots reportedly operates only one of its two sites, and even then, opening hours are irregular, and pharmacist availability is unreliable. This has placed “unsustainable” pressure on the remaining services, he said.

‘As the Gazette has previously reported, queues of up to two hours and repeated failed attempts to collect vital medication have sparked concern for public health, with councillors warning the situation is “failing” local people.