Suffolk MP says pharmacies need 'enormous' cash injection

A Conservative MP has warned that community pharmacies could cease to exist if "enormous" funding and recruitment pressures are not addressed.

Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney in Suffolk, opened a debate in Westminster Hall on Thursday.

He pointed to NHS data which showed 222 pharmacies closed in England in the first six months of 2023.

The government said it was committing £2.59bn per year to the sector.

Mr Aldous said: "There is a need to address the enormous pressures that community pharmacies currently face.

"If this is not done the sector could well cease to exist in large swathes of the country."

An NHS survey in 2022 showed there were nearly 18,000 full-time equivalent pharmacies in England, but this was down 6% on 2021.

Community Pharmacy England, representing the sector, asked for an "urgent uplift" in government funding support last year.

Mr Aldous said it was "vital" action was taken to prevent the "nightmare" seen with dentistry in the east of England.

Simon Ingham, who runs Cromer Pharmacy in Norfolk, said he was tightening his budget and colleagues were working through lunch breaks because of pressures.

He said other nearby pharmacies were closing on sporadic days because of staff shortages, and told the BBC: "If we lose a member of staff we might not be able to replace them."

Junior health minister Neil O'Brien told Westminster Hall his department was committing £2.59bn to the sector per year through the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, and was still consulting with chemists about the delivery plan this winter.

"We are injecting further funding; we have hugely grown the workforce; we will continue to build on what community pharmacies do and will further improve community pharmacies across the country," he said.

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