VALE of York MP Anne McIntosh has raised the controversy surrounding village pharmacist Pamela Brompton with Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

The Press reported yesterday how scores of customers were rallying round Ms Brompton, who runs the pharmacy in Upper Poppleton, near York, following an extraordinary clash with the former North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust.

Ms Brompton alleged at a Family Health Services Appeal Authority hearing that the trust had engaged in a “malevolent campaign of persecution and intimidation” against her.

But the hearing found that such a view was not “objectively well founded,” and directed that she should remain on the trust’s pharmaceutical list only on condition she agreed to be examined by an independent consultant occupational health physician within eight weeks – something Ms Brompton said she had reluctantly agreed to, because she felt she had no other choice.

Anne McIntosh claimed in a letter to Mr Johnson that the trust had been “largely ineffectual” at managing Ms Brompton’s case, and asked what right of appeal was now available to her.

The Tory MP claimed: “The PCT has made a number of allegations against Ms Brompton, many of which appear to be grossly exaggerated. Ms Brompton has had little opportunity to question or dispute these allegations.”

She claimed the trust readily accepted that the pharmacist had not made any clinical or prescriptive errors, and since the case began she was estimated to have dispensed more than 150,000 items without complaint or error.

She told The Press she believed this might be the first case of a pharmacist being dealt with in such a way under a new system introduced by the Government. In such matters, there should be due process, natural justice and transparency, but it did not appear to her that this had happened in this case.

But her claims have been fiercely contested by the trust’s successor, NHS North Yorkshire and York.

It claimed that the case had been dealt with in accordance with statutory rules which carefully preserved the right of practitioners to be heard at every stage of proceedings.

It said the matter had been dealt with by two wholly independent bodies, the High Court of Justice and the Family Health Services Appeal Authority.

“Ms Brompton has had the benefit of representation by a nationally-recognised expert in pharmacy law and regulation,” it added.

A junior minister, Ann Keen, has replied to the MP, saying there was no appeal against the appeal authority’s decision, although it was open to judicial review. She added: “It is for the complainant to seek legal advice on any further action.” Ms McIntosh said she was “utterly disappointed” by this response.