Thursday, Jan u a ry 1 st, 2009 No. 6,387


news and views from the Centre of the Kingdom www.cIitheroeadvertiser.c6.uk Price 70p


S V ' ' ■'


/ w wins the ,by Faiza Afzaal ■ PEOPLE power has won the


" .battle in keeping a vital medical service open. The Government has listened to


.’--’ ■


r the concerns of the public and has decided to save dispensaries from closure.


As reportedin 2008^ the dispensa­ r y at Clitheroe Health Centre,'


\


. which provides a valuable service for around 7,000 residents, particu­ larly elderly people living in outly­ ing villages, was under serious threat of closure."


. - NewTGovernment plans pub-.


Hished in the White Paper wanted I to see'the role of-pharmacies: expanded, but the end of dispen- ; saries- - including the one at-


■


iChtheroeHealthCentre.-^' .The move, if given the go-ahead, would have proved very worrying


; for patients who live more than one mile away from a chemist who can acquire their medicines from" the surgery.;


: Patients were concerned that if


the dispensary gets the axe, they would be forced to make a second


■ journey: to reach the nearest; chemist.


In.October, 2008, staff at the


• health centre in Railway '.Vie v Road, launched a “ Save our Dis-


: pensary” campaign, calling on R ib - ' . .bleiValley patients to oppose the ., plans, which would have resulted in : 12joblosses.,


■ . I n , response, 'thousands of -.patients wrote letters to the- Department of Health fighting the


.. .closure during the consultation period.


.. Just before Christmas, it was announced in the House of Com- .:mons that the Government is now ■


not planning to change the arrange- - ments for dispensing practices. - ■


. Mr Phil Mileham,.managing'^ 'partner of- the Castle Me'dical' Group,-.is delighted with the news. .


■


emment was inundated with letters of support from patients around the ■ country. . . “We would like to offer our own '■ thanks from the local doctors tbi everyone who took the time to ■^vrite to the Government. It certainly ■ means that we will be able to keep the dispensary in Clitheroe open - and we are all very relieved.” ■ “-■


; " He went on to say: “We are not complacent and we-will continue to look at ways of improving our serv­ ices in 2009. ' - -“The delivery service to people­ living in the ■villages has proved to


-be a great success and we would : encourage dispensing patients to - ask at the dispensary, for more


Idetailsjn the New Year.” • ^ Mr Nigel McMeekin, a partner at the Pendleside Medical Practice,


, He said: . ‘T- would like,to thank all ■ ■ our patients for their support dur- '■ , ing the cam p a ig 'n it :ce r ta in ly '- appears to have paid off, as the gov- ■


■added:,“We’re.very pleased the : Department ofiHealth has made : this decision.


"We and our staff are thrilled - "HM


iw a RIBBLllULLEYSPORf^ REVn 20l!f8 Festive fun goes to their heads!


SILLY hats were (he order of the day for a post-


Christmas walk. .Villagers, chil- .- dren and some four-legged . friends turned


■out in force for (he IJth annual


, Whalley.Walk- and Ridiculous


• Hat contest. Pic- ' (ured are: Josh ■ and Jenny : ' McCrcrie, Jitn


• Whitfield, Alex . Armstrong, Alan .- . Whitfield and ,-Joel Whitfield


-.'See page 6 for ; : story and more '■ -pictures ' •(G281208/lb)


54-56 king Street, Clitheroe Tel: 01200 425151


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