By Neil Trainis

The Labour MP Judith Cummins has launched a petition in parliament in an attempt to whip up support from other MPs for community pharmacies and put pressure on the government to better support the sector.

Cummins (pictured) launched her petition last week after receiving 280 letters from people in her Bradford South constituency who are concerned about the impact poor funding is having on pharmacies.

She said her petition “reflects concerns across Bradford that the government have stripped proper funding for pharmacies to act as community access points for NHS support and face-to-face healthcare support.”

The petition warns that “underfunding of local pharmacies is threatening their ability to continue to serve communities and areas such as Bradford South” and makes it clear that without pharmacies, the pressure on GPs and hospitals “across the country” would grow.

James Currie, the owner of Currie’s Chemist in Wyke, warned pharmacy funding had “plummeted by 30 per cent since 2017” while his pharmacy’s costs had “sky-rocketed.” That, he said, “simply isn’t sustainable.”

“We are doing our bit to ease pressure on our NHS by helping people live happily and independently in the community, but while government is encouraging chemists to support patients with a wider range of services, we aren’t seeing an increase in funding,” he said.

“This simply isn’t sustainable, and many pharmacies are on the precipice of collapse. We need proper support and fresh investment from government, or we face a domino effect that will see the end of community pharmacies.”

After delivering her petition in the Commons, Cummins said the government risked leaving residents “isolated and vulnerable” and “struggling to access life-saving medicines” if it allowed pharmacies in the area to close.

“The government must not delay. We must act to preserve our local pharmacies before it is too late,” she said.

Image: www.parliament.uk