Freddie van Mierlo

Freddie van Mierlo

Liberal Democrat — Henley and Thame

Speaking in the House of Commons on 12 February 2026

Debate

Pharmacy First: Withholding Payments

Contribution

Last year, I visited a pharmacy in Benson in my constituency, where Vik Patel described to me how the pharmacy’s being rural disadvantages it in the Pharmacy First scheme. His pharmacy never meets the threshold to qualify for payment, and that threshold has gone up over and over again, from five patients a month in April last year to 30 in March 2025, so the pharmacy is effectively delivering a service for free. Vik is a lovely chap, and he is happy to do that, but it is not a sustainable business model. What will the Minister do to help rural pharmacies like mine in Benson?

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