Shropshire Council is to urgently write to the Counties MPs in an attempt to influence a Government imitative that could lead to the closure of many rural pharmacies across the County.
Heather explained: “The Government has indicated that it will press ahead with its proposals to cut the grant paid to pharmacies for providing a public service. This will impact hugely on rural pharmacies which are dependent on the grant to survive.*.
“The Heath and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee of Shropshire Council decided to write to all the County’s MPs pointing out the devastating impact that this will have in many areas. In the South west of the County, for example, we only have two (in Bishops castle and Pontesbury ) to cover an area of over 200 sq miles. If these go we will either have to travel into one of the major towns or go into Wales to access some of the unique services that only a pharmacist can provide.**
“I persuaded the Committee to ask the MPs to press the Minister of State for Community and Social care, Alistair Burt MP, to take into consideration geography and sparsity of population before coming to any final decisions about blanket cuts to the community Pharmacy provision..”
Notes
*All pharmacies receive a block grant up to of £25,000 plus an amount for each prescription processed. The grant tends to be lower in busy urban areas but higher in more sparsely populated rural areas like Shropshire.
** Although several doctors surgeries do prescribe they don’t stock non-prescription medicines which require a pharmacist to be present for any sale and do not give funded advice for a variety of conditions. These have to be sought from the Practice nurse or a Doctor thus adding to already busy surgeries work load.