“Fixing the front door to the NHS in primary care is one of Labour’s top priorities,” the Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said during a visit to a pharmacy in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, over the weekend.

Mr Streeting, pictured above with NPA chief exec Mark Lyonette and pharmacy owner Nitin Lakhani, was visiting Jaysons Pharmacy with Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for the local constituency of Erewash, Adam Thompson, to find out more about the issues facing pharmacies.

He asked for advice and ideas to help him develop Labour’s plans for the next general election. “I’m looking forward to keeping up the conversation with the National Pharmacy Association,” he told NPA chief executive Mark Lyonette.

“It’s important that politicians spend time with our members at the coalface, so that they get a real taste of the day-to-day challenges. Wes listened carefully to what Nitin and I had to say, and seems to understand that pharmacies are a key part of the NHS frontline, not just a sideshow,” said Mr Lyonette.