Dear Editor,

Gazette online and last week’s newspaper featured an editorial (‘Measures taken to improve service’ -17th January) regarding the very poor service that residents were experiencing at LloydsPharmacy in Wotton under Edge.

In it I heavily criticised the experience Wottonians and others were having when using this chemist, which has been described by their head office as being in ‘special measures’.

Following a meeting between Lloyds, local doctors, the Glos NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and numerous communications and meetings with myself, a number of actions were promised to rectify a range of shortcomings in the service provided.

A number of these have already been actioned and it is pleasing to note that residents, along with my own personal observations, are noticing significant improvements in the availability of prescriptions, waiting times, general tidiness of the premises and seemingly happier staff.

Readers may also have noticed that I also raised this topic last week on social media, mainly to highlight the unjustified verbal and online abuse that assistants had being subjected to.

It is understandable that customers are impatient when having to queue for up to an hour or more to obtain their prescriptions or even to buy a tube of toothpaste!

This is ridiculous and clearly unacceptable, but it is the business that is at fault, not the staff, who are simply doing their best under a number of extreme difficulties.

Thank you to the 243 residents who either acknowledged my posting, texted, emailed, or phoned supporting my stance regarding these often vile comments being directed at staff.

I understand that through improved moderating of these social media sites and the knowledge of the names of those responsible for such postings, the practise has thankfully stopped.

A full-time pharmacist and additional staff have or will be joining the pharmacy during January and we look forward to their contribution to add to the improvements already noted.

A pharmacy is one of the ‘hearts of a community’ and we owe it to all, especially those ill or infirm and of all ages, that this dire situation never occurs again.

Cllr Ken Tucker

Lib Dem District Councillor, Wotton Ward.