Pharmacy closures 'are piling pressure on GPs'

SOME BRANCHES HAVE CLOSED AND HOURS REDUCED AT MANY OTHERS

- CLARE AINSWORTH

NEARLY one in five people (18%) have seen their local pharmacy close in the last 12 months, a new poll commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found. It comes following the closure of a string of Boots and Lloyds pharmacies across Plymouth.

The NPA is warning that pharmacy closures will ‘pile pressure on GP surgeries’ as Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said last week that the GP system was ‘on the brink of collapse’. The polling of the public, conducted in June, revealed that:

■ 18% of people reported that at least one local pharmacy had shut in the last 12 months, with 6% reporting more than one had closed locally.

■ 13% of people reported that their local pharmacy had cut their opening hours over the last 12 months.

■ 83% of people would be concerned about their local pharmacy closing. 88% of over-65s would be concerned, compared to 77% of 18-24s.

■ 79% of people polled had visited their pharmacy at least once in the last year.