Hundreds of people have signed a petition to keep a local health assistant in the community she has worked for more than a decade.
Linda Davies, from Hoole, who has worked at her local Boots pharmacy on Faulkner Street for over ten years, was told by the firm earlier this month she would be transferred to another store nearby.
The news came following the company’s plans to replace health care assistants at certain stores, including the Hoole store, with pharmacy advisors as part of its new healthcare model.
Following Linda's decision to turn down training for the new pharmacy advisor role, she was told she would have to be transferred to another Boots pharmacy nearby to maintain her position as a health assistant.
Following the news, customer Chris Owen, who knows Linda through using the chemist, has launched a petition and is campaigning for her to stay at the Hoole store as a health assistant.
Petition forms have been left in a number of stores along Faulkner Street and within the locality, which have gained between 250 - 300 signatures.
Mr Owen told the Chronicle: “She’s a local girl who knows everyone - she’s extremely helpful and manages the customers very well.
“When she was telling me about the company’s plans to move her to a different store, her eyes filled with tears - I could tell she didn’t want to leave so I started a petition to keep her.
“We’ve had about 250 - 300 signatures in about ten days.
“Whether Boots will take any notice, I don’t know, I just want to help her.
“She would be a great loss to our community, she would most definitely be missed by everybody, especially her colleagues.
“She always greets people with a big jolly smile, she’s a lovely woman.”
Customers, friends, neighbours and local employers have all signed the petition to keep Linda in the Hoole store.
Linda said: “I’m touched by the support of the community.
“I don’t think the campaign will change much, but it’s so good of the community to try.
“I’m very touched and to be thought of in that way has really given me a warm feeling.”
The health care assistant, who worked at the pharmacy for four years before it was taken over by Boots in 2010, said she feels as though the company has not taken her feelings into account.
“They told me they want to employ a pharmacy advisor in the Hoole store and that I would have to train for the role if I wanted to do it,” she said.
“At first, I didn’t want to do it but by the time I had changed my mind, they told me I would have to move.
“I was a little bit angry and upset when they told me - I’ve been there for 10 years.
“I don’t like change, I’d love to be able to stay, it’s a good little village.
“It’s a lovely little place to work - it’s right on my doorstep, I know everybody and I really enjoy it.
“They haven’t really taken my feelings into account at all.”
A Boots UK spokesman, said: “At Boots UK, it’s important that all of our stores have the right mix of colleague experience in order to offer our customers and patients great care.
“As part of this, we’ve recently introduced a new healthcare model which includes a new pharmacy advisor role, allowing our dispensing teams and healthcare teams to work more closely and flexibly, and to further allow the pharmacist to spend more time with patients.
“Since we have been training our healthcare assistants into these pharmacy advisor roles, feedback from our existing healthcare and pharmacy teams has been encouragingly positive.
“Our colleagues know that the introduction of the role has been planned for some time and fully understand the added value it brings.
“We always seek to retain our much valued talent, and if a healthcare assistant doesn’t wish to take the new role of pharmacy advisor, we endeavour to provide the opportunity for colleagues to work at a larger store close by where they can maintain their current responsibilities.”
