THOUSANDS of people in West Devon stand to be affected under new plans for GP surgeries, outlined in a Government White Paper. Dispensing GP services, such as the one at Okehampton Medical Centre, face closure if the proposals in the White Paper, 'Pharmacy in England' are passed. It would mean the closure of dispensing GP services in market towns where there is a pharmacy within a mile of the surgery. In Okehampton's case this will be Lloyds Pharmacy and Boots on Fore Street. The proposals have been slammed by the management of Okehampton Medical Centre, patients and politicians. People are now being urged to write to their MP to stop the proposals being passed. Alison Shelton, practice and dispensary manager at the medical centre, said: 'The whole thing is an absolute travesty. Potentially, there could be six redundancies as well as a real decline in patient care. 'If the dispensary closes we will suffer from reduced revenue which could potentially see a reduction in the services the practice offers, something which will affect all patients. 'As a practice we offer a courier service to patients that can't make it in to the surgery. Not only are we delivering medication but we are picking up any anomalies with patients' treatment. 'If the dispensary were to close all this would go. We have an excellent working relationship with the chemists in the two pharmacies in town who have told us they do not have the ability to cope with such an increase in demand. 'This will restrict choice at a time when the Government is supposedly doing all it can to improve patients' choice.' The practice currently dispenses to around 4,500 people, dispensing an average of 7,636 drugs per month. It also has in-house liaison with the GPs, complete access to patients' medical records for clarity and safety as well as the ability to provide immediate access to repeat medications. One patient, aged 59 from Sampford Courtenay, uses the dispensary regularly for her asthma and to pick up prescriptions for her husband who suffers from cancer and Parkinson's disease. She said: 'The dispensary is a godsend to thousands. I don't want to trail back and forth up and down that hill to go to the pharmacies in town. 'There's a lot of old people who use the surgery and there are a lot of friendly faces behind the counter that will have to go. 'I really can't imagine the elderly walking into town and then struggling up the hill — it's just stupid. 'Traffic at the moment is like a chess game and it will only get worse, there will be more carbon emissions given out by the excess traffic travelling into town. The plans are bordering on lunacy.' West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox visited the medical centre to pledge his support. He said: 'These plans are likely to deliver yet another heavy blow to rural communities. 'Already hit hard by Post Office closures and reductions in social care and other services, it is astonishing that the Government should demonstrate such callous indifference to their welfare by undermining the rural GP's practice as well. 'It is essential that the Government amends these damaging plans so that rural dispensing practices, which provide such a vial service to local people, are preserved.' Okehampton mayor Kay Bickley added: 'It's ridiculous. Instead of thinking about rural communities, the Government are just thinking of ways to save money. 'We are an expanding town and yet our services are being diminished every single day.' To help halt these proposals and save the dispensary, people are asked to write to Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Mr Andrew Lansley MP or Geoffrey Cox MP at House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA. Alternatively, letters can be written to the Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, the Minister of State for Public Health who is proposing the changes, at Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2NS.
