Harriett Baldwin is reminding people that it is their last chance to write in to the government's consultation on dispensing GPs and pharmacies this week.

The consultation closes on November 20th.

The Labour government has been running a consultation on changes to the way in which GPs can dispense medicines. At the moment, GPs can dispense medicines to patients who live more than 1 mile from a pharmacy. This is very helpful to patients who live in rural areas. In the consultation, the government proposes to change these rules so that GPs cannot dispense to patients if there is a pharmacy within 1 mile of the surgery. This would affect patients and GPs in market towns like Pershore, Upton-upon-Severn, Evesham and Broadway.

Harriett Baldwin said, "Sir Michael Spicer and I have received over 5,800 petition signatures from three surgeries affected - Abbotswood and Pershore Medical Practice and Upton Surgery. We have passed these on to the Minister of Health and I have also written to Gillian Farnfield at the Department of Health, supporting Option 1 - No Change."