The government recently announced a cut of £170m to the community pharmacy global sum for England, to be applied over six months. This is equivalent to a 12.2% cut. The pharmacy minister has said he expects 1,000 to 3,000 pharmacies to close as a result.
We have provided a letter for members to send to their MPs along with a briefing paper which sets out the PDA’s position and provides them with key information.
The cuts will affect all pharmacies, damage the fabric of the pharmacy network and with it the front line services providing patient care. The pharmacy minister has made it clear that smaller independents will be particularly vulnerable to closure; the remaining pharmacies should expect to be under much greater pressure as a result.
The PDAU has today (19 Feb 2016) written to the pharmacy minister and the Chairperson of the Health Select Committee and the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee to ask for an inquiry to be held in the public domain to examine:
- the impact of the funding cuts and pharmacy closures on patient safety and care and the UK healthcare infrastructure
- whether the continuation of vertically integrated wholesaler / pharmacy operations is in the public interest
- whether breaking up or regulating such arrangements would release public funds, reduce the NHS savings required and improve patient-facing services
We have also formally requested that the cuts be postponed until an inquiry has been held as set out above, allowing all stakeholders to make representations and for the public, government and profession to be given time to agree a way forward, which protects patient care and the UK healthcare infrastructure and ensures appropriate regulation of public expenditure.
We have also asked that the Department of Health conduct its own inquiry into these issues and consult publicly, in order to hear the views not just of the pharmacy profession, but of patients and the wider range of organisations involved in the provision of healthcare.
A petition against the pharmacy cuts can be found here:
A Template Letter to send to your MP can be download here:
A Briefing Paper to send accompany the letter can be downloaded here:
The Press Release from the PDA Union can be found here:
This article was originally published on the PDA Union website