PHARMACY bosses are encouraging residents not to visit chemists as staff are under 'immense pressure' to provide prescriptions during the coronavirus.
Berkshire's local pharmaceutical committee (LPC) is asking patients and members of the public to avoid entering your local pharmacy if you are showing symptoms of Covid-19 and to 'be patient'.
It comes after the government announced a UK lockdown for all citizens to 'stay indoors' to protect the NHS and 'save lives'.
As such, a number of residents have been stockpiling on medicines and ordering extra prescriptions which means staff are having to work overtime to prepare more medicines and time into restocking shelves.
David Dean, chief officer of the local LPC, said: “Community pharmacy teams are a really important part of the NHS, and like all other NHS workers they are under immense pressure at the moment.
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"We are today asking patients and members to the public to take some very simple steps to help protect these teams so that pharmacies can continue to carry out their critical roles and ensure that everyone continues to get the medicines, help and support they need, when they need it.”
Despite this, residents are seen queuing outside the doors to get their vital prescriptions for their loved ones.
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Ellie from Bracknell said: "I was in this[queue] yesterday. 1 hour 45 mins to get a prescription for my Nan.
"I think they should operate different queues, e.g putting a prescription request in, collecting a prescription and then buying from the shop."
The LPC has warned not to order extra prescriptions as you will be 'contributing to disruption to the medical supply chain'.
They added: "Pharmacy teams are a critical part of the NHS and in the past weeks they have seen demand for prescriptions, Over- The-Counter (OTC) medicines, other products, advice and reassurance soar. Pharmacy teams are under intense pressure at the moment, working on the front line of the health service often without any protection for their own health."
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