A WHEELCHAIR-bound man in West Somerset has been ‘left to suffer’ without medication after his pharmacy cancelled his essential medicine deliveries without any warning.

Nigel Gates, 50, claims the Alcombe Pharmacy threatened to ban him when he complained about the lack of delivery service, which is ‘discretionary’.

Mr Gates, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, cannot drive and a round trip to the pharmacy in his wheelchair would take him around three hours from his home. He also said he does not have family in the area who could help.

Mr Gates is relying on his carers, who visit his home four times daily, to pick up his medicines even though he admits they aren’t supposed to do it.

He said: “The pharmacy is almost two miles away, it would be a real struggle to get there. It would probably take me an hour and a half so it would be a three-hour round trip in my wheelchair.

“I phoned the pharmacy on Monday after I had been without my medication for four days, and they told me they would no longer deliver my medicine.

“I don’t know how I will access my medicine. The pharmacy told me I didn’t qualify for delivery, and I said that was ridiculous. They told me to send my carers down and I explained I have, even though they aren’t supposed to. There are carers who would kindly do it now and again but it’s not something I’m supposed to ask.”

Mr Gates said the pharmacy “got shirty” with him, before hanging up the phone. When he rang back, he alleged the pharmacy threatened to ban him.

He said: “When I asked for help they hung up on me. I rang back and asked for the head office details and I was told if I ring back again I would be banned from the pharmacy.”

Mr Gates said he was not signposted toward any alternative services, given advice, or warned in advance that deliveries of his medicines would be discontinued. He said the situation had left him on the verge of tears: “I am almost in tears, it feels like everything is against us, people with disabilities are really suffering.”

Alcombe Pharmacy owner, Max Punni, said he was “struggling to keep the lights on.”

Pharmacy boss Max Punni told the Free Press to "go away" when he was asked why his pharmacy halted the delivery of medicine to some customers
Nigel Gates, 50, claims the Alcombe Pharmacy threatened to ban him when he complained about the lack of delivery service, which is ‘discretionary’. (Tindle)

He added: “When a pharmacy provides a free service for many, many years it saddens me when we can’t provide it anymore because we don’t have any money.”

A spokesperson for NHS Somerset said: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Gates is having issues accessing his medication following the changes to the terms of the delivery service offered by his community pharmacy. 

“The delivery of medication to patients from a community pharmacy is not a requirement of the NHS Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and is provided at the discretion of the pharmacy. Community pharmacies may decide to offer either free or paid-for prescription delivery services for either some, or all patients, who use their services.”