Inverness community pharmacy finally opens after five–year wait
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A pharmacy has opened its doors in Inverness after a long wait.
Mo Ameen, of Care Pharmacy in Cradlehall, said he was "thrilled" to finally be open five years since coming up with the plan.
The opening of the pharmacy was delayed after initial objections to a licence to run the shop delayed NHS permission, then further delays due to the pandemic.
Opening to the public this week, those who supported his campaign were on hand to celebrate having a chemist on the doorstep.
Mr Ameen, pharmacist and business owner at Care Pharmacy, said: "We’re thrilled to finally be open and serving the community.
"The pharmacy application to NHS Highland has taken five long years, and it wouldn’t have been possible to achieve this opening without the groundswell of support from the local residents of Cradlehall and Westhill."
NHS Highland said with 700 responses, it had gained the highest response rate to any pharmacy public consultation in regard to the Cradlehall and Westhill pharmacy of any they had previously received.
Mr Ameen continued: "This was led by the sterling efforts of Councillor Duncan Macpherson and the community council who have worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone moment."
The new pharmacy is offering a full prescription service. Mr Ameen said: "We can pick up prescriptions daily from every surgery in Inverness and we have been delighted by their helpful response.
"We pride ourselves in the level of personal care we offer and we will always go over and above the call of duty to help out our patients with their medication and health needs.
"We hope that new patients will value having a local pharmacy with the personal touch right in the heart of their community."
He added: "We also offer a unique flu and travel vaccination service, administered in our discrete and private pharmacy consultation room."
The new pharmacy is encouraging patients to call in and register at your new local family-friendly pharmacy and they will take care of doing all the rest for patients' future prescriptions.”
“We are living in unusual and challenging times and I think having a new pharmacy for local people to access is very important," Mr Ameen continued.
"It will reduce the need for trips to GPs who are always very busy, and by enabling patients to get access to minor ailments treatments and medicines through the new pharmacy without the need for a GP practice appointment, will be hugely beneficial to the whole community of Cradlehall and Westhill."
Welcoming the pharmacy, Cllr Duncan Macpherson said: “This day has been long anticipated by the local community and having easy access to a local pharmacy will save residents having to make a four–mile round trip just to reach the next nearest pharmacies.
"This will greatly benefit young families along with the elderly and infirm within the area, in equal measure.”
