Anna Gelderd

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts, and I thank the hon. Member for Tiverton and Minehead (Rachel Gilmour) for securing the debate. After decades of Conservative Government, our NHS is on its knees, and we see that in our long waiting times, in GP services over capacity and in hospitals struggling to meet demand. In the middle of this, community pharmacies have been quietly stepping up and taking on more responsibilities to help NHS colleagues and to ensure that our communities are not disadvantaged further. However, underfunding, medication shortages and a reduction in the skilled workforce have left many pharmacies in crisis. According to the Company Chemists’ Association, the south-west has lost more than 300,000 hours of pharmacy care a year, with 40% lost due to reduced opening times and 60% as a result of permanent closures. Behind the statistics are real people in our constituencies who are struggling to access the care they need. Community pharmacies are trusted pillars of our communities and a key part of the wider healthcare system. For areas such as my South East Cornwall constituency, where we have a large elderly population and constituents who often have to travel very long distances to access healthcare services, our pharmacies are vital lifelines. This Government have a plan to rebuild our NHS, but it will take time and we need to do more in the interim to support our pharmacies so they can continue to support our communities. Great initiatives such as Pharmacy First have demonstrated that pharmacies can support our NHS and deliver for people when they are empowered to do so. Such schemes can help to free up GP capacity and improve patient access to treatments for common conditions. However, more could be achieved, so will the Minister outline what support will be made available for community pharmacies in my area of South East Cornwall and across the south-west?