Llanfyllin GP has approached potential investors in their area in the hopes of gaining support for a fundraising appeal at the practice.

As the Powys based practice aim to bring in a medication dispensing machine at each of their sites, they have appealed to investors in the area for donations.

The machines cost roughly £35,000 per unit, which the practice acknowledges is a “huge request for our population” in a letter sent out to potential investors on behalf of Llanfyllin GP partners.

In the letter Juliet Sagar, practice general manager, said: As you may be aware, there is only one small pharmacy in our 600 square mile practice area. As with many rural areas this means GP practises not only prescribe necessary medication for patients, but also dispense the medication to the patient.

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“Historically, we offered a delivery service to designated shops in small surrounding villages. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to provide this service due to health and safety and governance issues.

“We also have an elderly patient population, who tend to rely on family or friends to collect their medication.

Currently, the practice dispenses up to 1,000 items of medication a day from their three sites, serving a list size of 11,200 patients. This is roughly double what a large city pharmacy would dispense.

Ms Sagar added: “We want to bring in a medication dispensing machine to each of our sites. This will allow patients to collect their medication at any time day or night and at weekends. It helps our staffing issues as well. Effectively the patient receives a text when their medication is ready and is in the machine with a code to use. They come to the machine and enter a code to collect their medication.

“This will free up staff to give more support to patients who need more help with their medication, queries and explanations of how to take medications and relay messages from doctors about changes.

“Patients who just need to pick up medication, working for people and those collecting from relatives would not have to wait in the surgery to collect, hence saving their time. It will be very much patient choice as to whether they wish to collect their medication this way.”