Steve Darling

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel Gilmour) on securing this important debate. A number of primary care providers, including GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacists, spoke to Devon MPs a few weeks ago. They shared with us the crisis that the frontline of the NHS currently faces. They also shared another challenge that I ask the Minister to reflect on: how national operating framework 4 puts additional pressures on services in Devon, and how the integrated care board is challenged in respect of some decisions, perhaps where fewer prevention opportunities have been taken. That has increased pressures on primary care, with more money spent on acute services. The Government rightly highlight the fact that, in children’s services and adult social care, prevention is better than cure, and it is the same for this area of the NHS. My constituency has 22 pharmacists serving communities across Torbay. Sadly, we have lost seven pharmacists in recent years, significantly increasing the pressure on those that still trade, which is a grave concern. We have an older population, leading to greater footfall for our helpful pharmacists. I also reflect on the fact that 10 years ago the NHS spend on support for pharmacists was 2.4%, and it is now 1.6%. If our plan is prevention, that is going in the wrong direction. Colleagues have rightly raised the Pharmacy First approach, which has saved a little under 500 GP appointments in the Torbay constituency; we need to push harder on that agenda. I would like to curry a little favour with the Minister by sharing with him the fact that the first manifesto I bought had a picture of his father on the front of it. I still have it up on my shelf, despite my wife regularly asking me to clear out my office. I would like the Minister to reflect on whether NOF4 is part of the problem rather than the solution for NHS services, and to ensure that we get the long-term funding for pharmacies that is the strength they need to build on.