Sudbury awaits decision on new pharmacy plans as applicant says facility is ‘absolute must’ to meet town’s needs

A new pharmacy is an ‘absolute must’ to meet the needs of Sudbury’s population, according to a local health professional, who is optimistic that his plans will receive the green light.

Primary Care Support England (PCSE) is due to make a decision in the coming weeks, on an application to install a pharmacy within Sudbury Community Health Centre in Church Field Road.

It follows a recent 45-day consultation exercise on the proposals, involving local GPs, health practices and dispensaries.

The plans were put forward by Zahid Shah, who explained his experience as a practicing locum pharmacist in Sudbury had highlighted the need for a more accessible facility.

Although the health centre’s original planning permission included a pharmacy provision, there is currently no such facility on site, meaning patients have to travel elsewhere to collect their prescription medicines.

Mr Shah told the Free Press that his plans had the backing of staff at the health centre, which also houses Siam Surgery as a tenant.

He stated that around 12,000 patients, many of whom are elderly, would benefit from the on-site pharmacy, which he suggested could be operational in three months, should it receive approval.

“Where the health centre is, it’s away from the town centre, so some people are having to walk over a mile on terrain that’s not suitable for elderly or disabled users,” said Mr Shah.

“The journey between the health centre and the town centre is not a pleasant one by walking. Any person who has mobility issues would struggle.

“That’s why the health centre staff have had these concerns from patients who face difficulty accessing necessary pharmacy services. They have given me a lot of support with the application.

“The reason I’m doing this is I’ve worked for a long time as a locum and I’ve seen how much difficulty people have had accessing services.”

The most recent pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) for Sudbury was conducted in 2022, which at the time did not identify a need for a new pharmacy in the area.

However, Mr Shah argued that the accessibility to pharmacy services had changed significantly since then – notably, the closure of the Lloyds branch at Sainsbury’s, and the loss of Sunday opening hours at Boots.

“Now that Lloyds has closed and Boots had reduced its hours, a new pharmacy is an absolute must,” he said.

“If the PCSE looks into these issues, they will see this has created a significant increase in pharmacy workload, which has impacted Sudbury patients.

“I’m very optimistic that the application will be granted approval.”

Mr Shah added that he would like to hear from any patients who have struggled accessing pharmacy services in Sudbury, as this would provide evidence to support the case for a new facility.

To give your account, get in touch via email at zahid.shah4@nhs.net.