Following frustrations with direct-to-pharmacy distribution (see letter from Gavin Dobson), Martin Bennett has devised a template (below) for a letter to be sent to a patient's member of parliament.
To: …
MP for …
House of Commons
Westminster,
London
Date …
Dear …
[Patient’s name and address]
I am writing to you with the permission and on behalf of the above patient.
We recently had problems dispensing a prescription for your constituent named above due to the unavailability of stock locally.
This is an increasing problem caused, in the main, by a change in the distribution system imposed by many of the large pharmaceutical companies over the last few years.
Many of these companies, in the guise of “improving” distribution, are imposing a quota system which often leaves local wholesalers out of stock and means pharmacies have the added expense, inconvenience and delay in trying to obtain the medication direct from the manufacturer. These delays can result in patients running out of their medication.
Eventually this will result in serious harm to a patient or even to someone else where it is an important psychiatric medication that is unavailable.
Could we ask that you take this up with the Minister concerned and ask that the Minister investigates the changes that have taken place in the pharmaceutical distribution chain and evaluates the added risks and inconvenience to patients that these changes have introduced.
Yours sincerely
