New pharmacy hopes for Portland
A pharmacist has applied to open a new chemist on Portland to help ease the pressure on the one remaining pharmacy on the island
A pharmacists has applied to open a new chemist on Portland following the closure of Boots Fortuneswell.
14,000 people are currently having to share ONE pharmacy on the island after Boots decided to permanently close the Underhill branch back in February.
Stephen McGonigle believes the pressure on the remaining pharmacy at Easton is “too much” and is causing huge delays.
He told us: “The pharmacy in Easton couldn’t cope 10 to 15 years ago and now prescription volume is only on the increase, so the situation at the Easton branch is going to go from bad to worse.
“I went there the other week and had to wait half an hour, the poor pharmacist was snowed under with prescriptions and queries; their workload is just unbearable.”
Residents described the old pharmacy as a “local institution” - operating in the area for more than 100 years - and campaigned vigorously to keep it open.
News of the application has been welcomed by the Portland Town Council and The Mayor of Portland is “on board” with the plans.
Mr McGonigle said: “The application is in the early stages and no location has been decided but I don’t think there are any barriers in our way.
“There have always been two pharmacies on Portland, so I can’t see my application being turned down by Public Health Dorset in its Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.”
The applicant, Mr McGonigle hopes to have the pharmacy open by Christmas, given all goes well.
He added: “I’ve been speaking to some people from Portland and it just seems like Underhill has been forgotten, it’s a bit of a ghost town now.
Boots has just abandoned the people of Portland, leaving them with one branch that was already struggling.
“They’ve looked at it on a map and seen that its one and a half miles from Easton to Fortuneswell and decided to close the branch without taking into account the geography of Portland or the demographic.”