People in Axminster are ‘queuing out of the door’ at their local pharmacy amid a warning that Devon’s pharmacy workforce are ‘on their knees’. Branch closures and staff cuts are impacting the service.

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Speaking in Parliament, Richard Foord, Lib Dem MP for Tiverton & Honiton said: “At the end of January, the Government launched the Pharmacy First scheme, which encourages patients to consult pharmacists rather than GPs, or at least to take pressure off GPs.

“While that is good in theory, the reality is that the community pharmacy workforce are on their knees, with levels of trained support staff having been cut by 20%.

“We are seeing the closure of pharmacies in rural and coastal towns such as Axminster and Sidmouth, with a constituent telling me yesterday that queues at the pharmacy in Axminster are out the door. Will the Government please make time for a debate on recognising the value of community pharmacies?”

Leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt said: “The Government do recognise the value of community pharmacies. There can be no Prime Minister better placed to recognise the importance of pharmacy.

“That is why we have not only enabled the Pharmacy First service to be stood up, but worked on it for a number of years. It is now available to all members of the public, but there were trailblazer programmes prior to that for people who were on benefits.

“Some 98% of pharmacies are now making use of the scheme, which also enables them to derive an income from it. That is progress to be supported and welcomed. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will promote the scheme in his constituency.”