Right to Respond

Healthwatch Lancashire is committed to providing a transparent and honest view of health and social care services. This is your opportunity as the health or social care provider to have your say on comments the public have left. This is designed to be constructive and allow both sides to have a fair and equal say in the matter so please:

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Remember: your response will be seen by everyone who read’s your organisation’s comments, not just the original reviewer.

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Original feedback for

Longsands Pharmacy


Deceitful Travel Vaccine Appointment

I booked a travel consultation at Preston Pharmacy with [name redacted for privacy] over the phone. During the booking, I was informed that the £30 consultation fee would be refunded if I proceeded with vaccination through Preston Pharmacy. I intended to receive both the Hepatitis A vaccine and the full course of the Rabies vaccine (3 doses). At the time of booking—and still currently—the Hepatitis A vaccine is listed online at £40, and the Rabies vaccine at £70 per dose. However, during the consultation (which I had to pay for before receiving any information), I was told that the only Rabies vaccine available to them would cost £100 per dose, not the listed £70. I expressed that this was misleading, and [name redacted for privacy] said they would try to work something out and call me back. The next day, I received a call confirming the price would be £100 per Rabies dose. I responded that I would look into alternative providers, as my partner had recently received the same vaccine at Boots for £75 per dose. [[name redacted for privacy] then said he would match any price I could find. After confirming with Boots that they could provide the vaccine at £75 per dose, I contacted [name redacted for privacy] on 03/11/25 and informed him I would proceed only with the Hepatitis A vaccine, as I could get the Rabies vaccine cheaper elsewhere. At that point, he stated that the consultation fee would no longer be refundable if I did not proceed with all vaccinations through Preston Pharmacy. I requested the terms and conditions related to this policy, but he said he was very busy and would get back to me before ending the call. I have been unable to escalate this complaint within the pharmacy, as [name redacted for privacy] is a director of the business. This seems unfair to customers, as it leaves no internal avenue for resolution other than contacting a governing body such as the General Pharmaceutical Council. Additionally, I found the travel consultation itself to be of limited value. I attended due to having Crohn’s disease and being on immunosuppressants, expecting tailored advice. Instead, I spent the hour with [name redacted for privacy] reading aloud recommendations from Travel Health Pro—information I had already reviewed myself. The session did not appear to be researched or prepared in advance, which was disappointing.