11/06/2025
SATURDAY SERVICE WITHDRAWAL
As the NHS struggles, more and more patients seek emergency help from pharmacies on Saturdays. Since many pharmacies are closed and people know that we can write prescriptions, many patients come to us every Saturday. We are delighted to help these patients and open on Saturdays to help emergency patients. Saturdays are not part of our NHS hours.
For this reason, we ask patients to not collect repeat prescriptions on Saturdays as looking for prescriptions means patients looking for emergency help have to wait longer, sometimes in pain and discomfort. We have advised patients who cannot collect their prescription Monday to Friday to use our 24-hour prescription collection machine.
Unfortunately, our requests are being completely ignored. Every Saturday is a series of battles, and frustration from people seeking emergency help. Over the last 2 weeks, around 80 people each week asked for regular repeat prescriptions. Many had not even arrived from the doctors, so a lot of time was wasted searching for prescriptions that weren't even with us. This meant that one of the 2 members of staff we have working could not do any clinical work at all.
Every Saturday involves somebody shouting, swearing, calling us idiots etc. We also end up staying late, thus having to delay weekend and family plans.
Due to the stress and abuse, and also since patients are not using Saturdays for emergencies, we will be withdrawing our Saturday service. I will be notifying the authorities on Monday and giving them 2 months' notice. After that, we will close on Saturdays.
For people who value our Saturday emergency service, we are sorry it has come to this, but we see no other option. If repeat requests stop, we will look to continue Saturdays. For emergency care on Saturdays , you can always use NHS 111 or walk-in centres, and A & E.
