THE need for a late night pharmacy in Warrington was highlighted at a meeting of the town's health chiefs this week.

Chief guest at the meeting was Paul Goggins, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Health Minister Frank Dobson, who heard that Warrington was considered one of the best health districts in the county, due to its multi-disciplinary approach and patient partnership scheme.

But despite Warrington being one of the fastest expanding new towns in Europe, the meeting was told that there is still no provision for chemists anywhere in the town after 8pm.

Chairman for the evening, Dr Vijay Bansal, said: "The situation was stressed at the meeting, particularly as we now have supermarkets such as Asda opening 24 hours.

"The fact that there are no chemist facilities available after 8pm will be particularly important during the winter, when there will be more respiratory illnesses.

"Warrington has a lot of new housing, with young working families taking up residence in the town because of the excellent motorway network here.

"A lot of Warrington residents now work away from home and do not get back within the normal working hours."

The panel promised those attending the meeting to do their best to service patient needs.

A late night pharmacy planned for inside the Morrison's supermarket was turned down after complaints from nearby chemists who said it would affect their business.

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