An important message about your OTC orders

Almost every sector in the UK is now suffering from chronic labour market shortages as a result of the on-going impact of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These include the requirement to self-isolate if contacted and advised to do so; COVID infection rates which are rising; and Brexit-related restrictions on who is eligible to work in the UK, such as HGV drivers.

As a result, we now see empty shelves in supermarkets and the medicine supply chain is not immune from these labour shortages.

In order to ensure we can provide an on-going sustainable service given the circumstances the sector as a whole faces, we have had to introduce certain measures which we aim to lift as soon as possible:

• All OTC orders will be suspended as of today until the end of next week.
• Any outstanding OTC orders will be picked and delivered over the course of the next few days.

Further, once supply resumes, we will be operate a twice-weekly* delivery schedule with a restricted range which will include:

• P Medicines
• Essential GSL lines
• Key supplier products
• Numark Own Brand
• OTC promotions

*This does not apply to customers serviced out of Runcorn or Wrexham, where normal delivery schedules resume.

This is a regrettable, but necessary measure in order to protect the long-term supply of medicines in the UK.

We’d like to reassure you that we continue to work incredibly hard to resolve the situation, we’ve launched an intensive recruitment campaign and continually review our stock management processes to allow supply to return to the service levels you’d expect. Please accept our sincerest apologies for this ongoing and very challenging situation.