Department of Health and Social Care Debate
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Richard Holden
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Department of Health and Social Care
Richard Holden Excerpts(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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Rebecca Smith (South West Devon) (Con)
We know that a key part of primary care is community pharmacy. Indeed, that was recognised in the Darzi report, which stated:
“One of the great strengths of the health service in England has been the accessibility of community pharmacy.”
The previous Government committed to community pharmacy through the introduction of Pharmacy First. The Darzi report also highlighted that 1,200 pharmacies have shut their doors since 2017, and increased medicine costs and rising national insurance costs will not be helping.
Mr Richard Holden (Basildon and Billericay) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend recognise that it is not just community pharmacies that are being hammered in this sector but hospices too, such as St Luke’s hospice in Basildon, which is facing a £450,000 rise in its national insurance costs? Does she also agree that Ministers are putting these costs on to pharmacies and charities that cannot make them back, which is absolutely killing community infrastructure in the health service sector?