NEWTOWN Surgery practice manager Mike Korab and Mark Greenwood, chairman of the Patient Participation Group, are appealing to patients to help support retaining the pharmacy at the surgery.

A letter is being given to all their patients, explaining the Government's proposals to change rules over where patients can get their medicines from.

Mr Korab told The Herald: "At the moment, patients who live more than one mile away from a chemist, can get their medicines from us here at the doctor's surgery. However, if the rules change, these patients may no longer be allowed to get their medicines from the surgery.

"We think that the Government should keep things as they are and that it should be the patient's choice where they get their medicines from. It is particularly important that elderly, disabled and those with transport difficulties can continue to get their medicines from the surgery."

Mr Greenwood, who chairs the Patients Participation Group every two months, said: "If the dispensary at the doctors surgery goes, patients will lose their choice and will only be able to use the big multiples like Lloyds Pharmacy, which is the only one in the parish.

"These days a lot of patients are on a series of complex medications, which they need to take regularly and which are not always available in local chemists, who can have a stock problem. It also affects patients who live in a rural environment with poor transport facilities, as well as the elderly."

The White Paper by the Government proposes changing the distance requirements for the establishment of dispensing practices.

At the moment, it is the distance from a patient's house to the surgery, in future it would be the distance from the surgery to the nearest community pharmacy.

Mr Korab said: "The Government is asking everyone affected, including patients, to tell them what they think and to do so by writing a letter before November 18. They will not accept any petitions only personal letters.

"We are happy to collect the letters from our patients at the surgery and forward them to the correct address."

The Government is offering patients four options. Option One is to leave things as they are at present, which Mr Korab is supporting.

Option Two is to let the local Primary Care Trust decide where patients can get their medications from. Option Three and Four is to change the rules, so that instead of allowing those patients who are too far from chemists and wish to have their drugs dispensed by their doctor, will be restricted in their choice, since only doctors who are more than a certain distance from a chemist may dispense to anyone, resulting in most doctors not being able to dispense.

Mr Korab explained: "At present, not only do we dispense to people who come into the surgery, we also provide a delivery service to people who are housebound and live more than a mile away and we also deliver to nursing homes in the area.

"If the rules are changed it will create a monopoly for the pharmacists and in our case affect and reduce the working hours of four of our staff. The pharmacy provides the practice with an income, which is then pumped back into the pot to provide GP services for our patients.

"We are very concerned about the proposed legislative changes and its effect on the local community, since we dispense medicines to our patient base, who are more than a mile away in line with with existing regulations. These changes potentially put that under threat."

Anyone wishing to continue to have their choice to receive medicines from their doctor's surgery should write a letter by November 18, addressed to Gillian Farnfield, MPI Community Pharmacy Policy, 4th Floor, Skipton House, 80 London Road, London SE1 6LH.

The Department of Health consultation runs until November 20 on the 'live consultations' section of http://www.dh.gov.uk">www.dh.gov.uk and Mr Korab is urging people to respond.