Fears allayed as new pharmacy in Elmer gets green light

Lloyds Pharmacy was given permission to set up the business in the parade of shops opposite Elmer Beach Stores in Elmer Road.

The approval was given by the pharmacy appeals committee of the NHS.

It means Middleton's residents will no longer face a round trip of up to four miles to have their prescriptions dispensed or buy other pharmaceuticals at Flansham Park Health Centre.

The announcement of the committee's decision was greeted as a victory by Middleton Parish Council clerk David Allsopp.

Mr Allsopp said: "This is extremely good news for the residents of Elmer and Middleton, many of whom have found it very difficult to collect their prescriptions from the health centre, not least because of the parking difficulties which frequently exist there.

"The appeal panel considered the representations from all parties in a fair and balanced manner and came to the absolutely correct decision that the parish needed a pharmacy, following the closure of Middleton Pharmacy."

Since then, the nearest pharmacy has been located in the health centre in Felpham. Mr Allsopp had joined with district councillor Barbara Oakley and the Middleton-on-Sea Association to overcome the loss of Middleton's previous pharmacy early last year.

Middleton had benefited from the presence of a pharmacy for decades.

However, a series of applications and appeals enabled the pharmacy's owner, Rowlands Pharmacy, to make the 'minor relocation' to the health centre. The previous pharmacy became a drug store without prescription medicines.

But the case for a new pharmacy for Middleton was made at two oral hearings of the appeals committee in April, 2007 and May, 2008.

Mr Allsopp and Mrs Oakley spoke at both. The Middleton-on-Sea Association was represented, firstly, by Professor Alan Johns and then Margaret Martin and Dr John Bradshaw.

They all spoke strongly in favour of a new pharmacy being opened. But their previous arguments had been rejected by the West Sussex NHS Primary Care Trust's pharmacy committee. Its members said having the pharmacy at the health centre provided an adequate service for Middleton. These decisions were challenged at the appeals.

Both Rowlands Pharmacy and Alliance Pharmacy consistently argued against any additional pharmacy.

They were partly successful because the appeals committee did reject a bid by Waremoss Ltd, trading as Kamsons, to open a pharmacy close to Middleton Medical Centre.

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