BRITS' health is at risk because of “critical” medicine shortages, pharmacy bosses warn. A report by Community Pharmacy England said supply issues are now a daily occurrence and 97 per cent of chemists have struggled with them. Eight in 10 say they are worried about their patients’ health and safety.
Many patients are forced into "pharmacy bingo" and travel from one to the next to try and get their prescription filled. A shocking 84 per cent of pharmacists, in the poll of 2,900, report being abused by customers who are frustrated they cannot get their meds . William Pett, from Healthwatch England, said: “Medicines supply continues to wreak havoc on patients.
“Our polling at the end of last year showed that one in four members of the public had experienced shortages in the last 12 months. “Shortages can lead to rationing and desperate instances of ‘pharmacy bingo’, where patients must travel from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for stock. “We are calling for a review of the medicine supply chain .
” Not having access to medicines can have very serious consequences Community Pharmacy England said shortages are being caused by a combination of global supply issues and discontinuation of products. It said the low prices of medicines in the UK put off investors. Recent high-profile shortages include hormone replacement therapy for menopause and drugs used to treat epilepsy and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ).
Janet Morrison chief executive of CPE,.
