High-street chemist Boots has come under fire with customers for its decision to charge some customers £5 to deliver prescriptions, and has been labelled a 'disgrace' for doing so.
The retailer has also revealed it plans to bring in a £55 annual subscription service starting on September 30.
Boots has explained that the deliveries of its prescriptions aren't funded by the NHS , and free delivery will remain for the 'most vulnerable'.
Some customers are already paying a £5 charge to have their prescriptions delivered to Boots branches.
And now the relative of one elderly customer is calling on customers to boycott the company, branding it a 'disgrace'.
Richard Surman says his 83-year-old mother began using the service back in 2012 after her husband sadly passed away.
Speaking to BBC News, he said: "My mum's lucky because her three children live very close to her, but other people aren't so lucky.
"But for me it's the bigger picture, it's not just the older vulnerable people who can't get out to Boots.
"For some, it's their only human contact."
Richard Bradley, Pharmacy Director for Boots UK, told Manchester Evening News: “Community pharmacy is unquestionably facing challenges and we need to adapt our offer to respond.
"As a result, we have invested heavily in digital technologies to offer a free, easy-to-use service for delivery of repeat prescriptions ordered online.
"Patients who make use of the in-store service will be required to pay for delivery should they require it, with exceptions in place to cover our most vulnerable patients in circumstances where their care necessitates delivery.”
