Patients struggling to get prescription drugs in Alnwick due to pressure on NHS services

Coun Gordon Castle said queues for pharmacy and GP services in Alnwick were so bad, residents would sometimes find the medicines they needed were unavailable by the time they reached the front.

Coun Castle comments came at a recent meeting of North Northumberland Local Area Council, during which members were asked to extend the funding deadline for £250,000 in Section 106 money for healthcare in nearby Felton.

Developer Bellway Homes has pledged £250,000 towards healthcare services in the area after being granted planning permission for a development on land north of Benlaw Grove in Felton. However, the three-year deadline was due to expire in November, meaning the funds would instead have been used for affordable housing.

A report presented to councillors explained that the NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), now known as the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (CICB), has been trying to implement a scheme to build a new GP surgery in the Felton area for the past two years. However due to “several matters and issues aside from Covid”, there have been significant delays.

Despite this, plans remain in place for the new build, with hopes the £250,000 can be used to go towards the capital costs.

Felton and Widdrington Surgery have merged and joined up with Cheviot, Glendale and Well Close Practices to form the “Lindisfarne Group” and they will collectively operate the new surgery at Felton.

Coun Castle said that if members did not approve the extension there was a “risk that it would be lost”, creating “more pressure in Alnwick”.

He added: “There are already huge issues getting a prescription in Alnwick. People currently struggle to get prescriptions due to large queues, and when they get there they sometimes don’t have the goods.”

Coun Isabel Hunter agreed the funding deadline should be extended, pointing out it was a “win-win” for the council.

Members unanimously agreed to extend the deadline.

A note on Felton surgery’s website asks the public to be patient when trying to book an appointment: “We apologise for the delay in answering calls. Our current wait times can be longer than 30 minutes. We are in negotiations for a new telephone system to improve the service.”