MORE than 100 people took to the streets in Twyford last month to protest the potentially devastating cuts being faced by independent pharmacies.
Dozens of people, many of them elderly, braved the cold on Thursday, November 24 to demonstrate how the closure of independent pharmacies, such as Newdays in London Road, could affect waiting times at GP surgeries.
The protest, organised by Newdays pharmacist Olivier Picard in support of the national Support Your Local Pharmacy campaign, aims to raise awareness of the value of local pharmacies following an announcement by the Government to withdraw a £170million subsidy, which health ministers warn could lead to the closure of up to 3,000 pharmacies nationally.
A petition calling for the cuts to be scrapped, signed by more than 1.8million people, was delivered to Twyford’s MP, Prime Minister Theresa May, in Downing Street at the end of July.
Mr Picard, who runs three branches of Newdays in Twyford, Reading and Lane End, said: “Independent pharmacies have been squeezed in recent years, the cost of drugs has been going up and up which has led to inevitable rises in the cost of prescriptions.
“Around 40% of pharmacies are within 10 minutes walking distance of each other, which the Government thinks is too many, but I have never heard of anyone complaining of too much choice.
“The problem is that these cuts will harm the independent pharmacies, the ones where you can walk in and actually talk to someone without an appointment. The big chains such as Boots and Lloyds make their money elsewhere, and will probably be quite pleased to see us go out of business, but I personally don’t think you get the same level of customer service with them.
“What this means for the customer is that their nearest pharmacy, which is currently within walking distance, may now be the other side of town or a bus journey away.
“It is madness because on the one hand, people are being encouraged to stay away from A&E for minor conditions, but the alternative where they can be seen – pharmacies – are facing closure, it just doesn’t make any sense.
“We need people to contact their local MPs, make them aware of the need for local pharmacies, and to lobby them to oppose these cuts before it is too late.”
Twyford resident Cedric Gilson, who took part in the protest last week said: “Recently, I asked my pharmacist if he could advise me on treating an infection on my hand. He suggested what I needed but could not supply it for me because I needed a prescription. When I consulted my GP, he prescribed the exact same medication. So why did I have to waste the doctor’s time and resources on so trivial a matter?
“A problem with the government’s approach to the economic problem is that their policy is not joined up, It is piecemeal, haphazard and indiscriminate. Often there is disproportionate loss in order to make a small gain.”
A spokesperson for Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, who carried out a report on the effect the cuts could have on Wokingham’s residents, said: “Community Pharmacies in Wokingham Borough pharmacies are an important community resource. The local pharmacy is often patients’ and the public’s first point of contact and, for some, their only contact with a healthcare professional.
“Wokingham has 23 pharmacies plus three dispensing practices –this equates to 17 pharmaceutical centres per 100,000 residents which is below the national average of 20 per 100,000 residents.
“Wokingham is predicted as having significant population growth driven by significant housing developments. If the population growth as estimated occurs, the number of pharmacy providers will fall per 100,000 residents to less than 15 per 100,000.
“People should be able to access the treatment and services they need, irrespective of where they live or who they are and have a clear sense of what they are entitled to. Whilst Wokingham Borough currently has good access to pharmacies, if one were to close this would have a detrimental effect on customers, the remaining pharmacies and other health services such as GP, A&E.”
To find out more about the Support Your Local Pharmacy campaign, visit http://supportyourlocalpharmacy.org.
