Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire has expressed her opposition to Labour's latest White Paper which could result in some Worcestershire GPs losing the right to run a prescription drug dispensary.
Meeting with GPs and Surgery Practice Managers from Pershore and Upton-upon-Severn, Harriett Baldwin has learned that if the proposed White Paper becomes law, local GPs may have to cut services and lay off staff, including possibly some nurses or doctors.
12 GPs across Worcestershire could fall foul of proposed new rules being considered by the Labour government. At the moment, if a patient lives more than 1 mile from a pharmacy, they can enjoy the convenience of picking up a prescription at their local GP. The new rule will state that if the GP practice is within 1 mile of a prescription pharmacy, the GP can no longer dispense. Therefore the main impact will be in market towns rather than in villages which do not have a pharmacy.
Harriett Baldwin said, "This is yet another blow for patients living in rural areas near market towns. This is a law written by Whitehall bureaucrats who think one size fits all. Have they been to Upton-upon-Severn and seen that although it is under 1 mile from the new GP surgery to the town centre, the 1 mile would have to be done by car and parking is difficult near the town's chemist? Do they understand how convenient it is for an elderly or disabled person to pick up their prescription in the same place as they see their GP? I thought that the NHS was trying to bring in more patient choice. Why can't patients choose whether to use their GP dispensary or their chemist? The consultation has not started yet, but when it does, I do hope we can persuade the PCT and the Department of Health to stop this nonsense. Please sign the petition at your local GP."