THE Cubitt Practice has managed to scale the second hurdle in its bid to operate a fully- fledged pharmacy from its Chawton Park Surgery. Located adjacent to Alton Community Hospital in Chawton Park Road, the surgery already has an on-site pharmacy which is able to dispense only to those patients in the rural areas who live more than a mile away from a dispensing chemist. But, according to practice manager Margaret Lockett, the resident GPs feel that to have a fully-operational pharmacy would be a great advantage for people living at the southern end of the town. "At the moment people living at this end of town often have to travel more than a mile to an out-of-hours pharmacy," said Mrs Lockett. Councillors at last week's Alton Town Council planning committee meeting were delighted to hear that the practice was progressing with its bid for a fully licensed on-site pharmacy, and Mrs Locket said the GPs were grateful for the council's support of its application. She explained that this, the second application to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority, was progressing slowly but that the practice had anticipated at least an 18 month process. A first application had been turned down because it had been submitted before the surgery was built. Having officially opened in May 2005 with a limited pharmacy service available on site, a second application was submitted which, according to Mrs Lockett, had now reached the appeal stage. All objections lodged had been debated and the Strategic Health Authority had now announced its approval of the proposal. Objectors had included Boots and Moss Chemist in the town. There would now be a four week period for the original objectors only to appeal against the decision - this period ends on October 28, and will be followed, if necessary, by an opportunity for the interested parties to "thrash it out" at a local hearing. "We don't expect them to reach a final decision until the new year - we are not there yet," said Mrs Lockett.
