SAVE FIVEWAYS PHARMACY!

We express our concern regarding the planned closure of the Boots Pharmacy within Co-op Fiveways. The planned closure of this vital healthcare resource within our community is part of a larger trend impacting chain pharmacies across communities in the UK. Many chain pharmacies, including Lloyds, have already shut down, leaving our local communities without essential healthcare services.

Larger companies, such as Boots, are strategically maintaining pharmacies in only their major branches, leaving smaller, community-based pharmacies vulnerable to closure.

The chronic underfunding of pharmacies, with a 30% cut in real terms over the past seven years, combined with escalating costs, has created unprecedented pressures on these essential healthcare providers.

It is crucial to save this community resource, especially as alternatives, such as Boots at Tollgate, are out of the way for many and involve a car trip Tollgate Boots is under extra pressure following the closure of Lloyds within Sainsbury's.

Many Lloyds customers transferred to Tollgate Boots leading to queues and resulting pressure on their staff. In an era where doctors are stretched thin and public health campaigns encourage us to utilise our local pharmacies for minor ailments, the closure of the Boots Pharmacy within Fiveways Co-Op would be a significant blow to our community's health and well-being.