Row Breaks Out Over Council Motion on Pharmacies
Claim made at Borough Council meeting that cuts could close up to a quarter
A row has broken out at a Hounslow Borough Council meeting over the issue of pharmacies in the borough.
The Labour group on the Council voted through a motion at the meeting on Tuesday (22 November) saying that the government should reconsider cuts of £170million to the budget which they claim could lead to the closure of up to a quarter of UK pharmacies. They said that because pharmacies offer a range of services from dispensing prescriptions, disposing of unwanted medicines, to promoting smoking cessation, healthy eating and more, the cuts would increase the pressure on GPs and hospital services at a time when they are already under severe strain and put residents at risk.
The Conservatives on the Council refused to support the motion which was put forward by Cllr Mel Collins. Cllr Thompson’s response to the motion was that there were too many pharmacies on Chiswick High Road and that their current level of profitability made it unlikely that they would be forced to closed.
Reacting after the debate, Cllr Kamaljit Kaur, Cabinet member for Health services, said, “The decision by Cllr Thompson and the Tory group to vote against this motion and support their government’s decision to push ahead with this enormous cut shows that they don’t understand the contribution that community pharmacies make to the health of patients, and the work they do with GPs and district nurses.”
“A properly funded community pharmacy is cost effective and operates in the best interest of patients. It’s an utter disgrace that the Tories want to destroy this vital service which is seen by many residents in Hounslow as part of the life-blood of the community.”
Cllr Thompson said, "Pharmacies are a vital frontline service that we totally support. However the Government is right to want to make sure that precious NHS resources are spent efficiently and effectively. At the moment, payments from the government are made to pharmacies without enough focus on quality or where pharmacies are most needed. Currently, the average pharmacy receives £220,000 per year in funding, including fixed payments of £25,000 and two-fifths of pharmacies are within ten minutes walks of 2 or more other pharmacies. This has to change.”
“ The reduction in overall funding, after a decade where the pharmacy budget has risen by more than 40 per cent, and the number of pharmacies has increased by 18 per cent, will be accompanied by a number of other measures that ensure resources are targeted to focus on quality.
“Income from the NHS is only one part of a pharmacy’s business model, each pharmacy is a commercial business, and the average annual turnover is £1 million – so there is no reason to believe that pharmacies will be forced to close!"
November 27, 2016