To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro and P A Davies;
“This Council notes that:
1)
Community pharmacies are a critical part of primary
care and perform a vital frontline health service. They also played
a significant role in supporting and caring for patients during the
pandemic and have remained accessible to the public at a time when
many people have been unable to access local GP services;
2)
Community pharmacies have long been a common fixture
of many high streets. For many people, the local pharmacist is the
first point of care and many of us access pharmacies for a wide
range of health services. Community pharmacy is not just about
being a dispenser and retailer of medicines. As part of the NHS
Long Term Plan to improve the quality of care within the primary
care sector, the role of community pharmacy has expanded to meet
the growing demand, whereby pharmacies are commissioned to provide
services based on locally-identified needs and heavier reliance is
to be placed on them involving patient referrals from overstretched
GP surgeries;
3)
The Company Chemists’ Association has revealed
a shortfall of over 3,000 community pharmacists in England, a
number which has increased over the last 5 years. In November 2021,
there were an estimated 1,700 forced closures of pharmacies due to
a lack of pharmacists. Research by the Company Chemists’
Association also found that between 2015 and 2022, over 40% of
permanent community pharmacy closures took place in the 20% most
deprived parts of England;
4)
NHS data has revealed that England saw a net loss of
215 pharmacies in 2020/21, resulting in the lowest number of
community pharmacies in six years. There have also been a number of
pharmacy closures across Kirklees in recent years;
5) A Chemist & Druggist (C+D) survey in 2021 found that pharmacies are struggling to recruit and retain staff. 74% of pharmacy branch managers said that they have experienced difficulties in recruiting pharmacists and pharmacy staff and 61% said they had difficulty retaining staff in 2021.
This Council believes
that:
1)
Any pharmacy closure is a loss to the community it
serves. The closure of community pharmacies is putting more
pressure on GP practices and A&E departments;
2)
The Government’s plans to channel patients
from GPs to pharmacists is likely to fail unless the workforce
shortfall crisis is addressed;
3)
Pharmacies are experiencing significant recruitment
and retention issues. Many pharmacists are leaving the profession
for a number of reasons, including the working environment, an
increasing workload since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, low
remuneration and pay levels not being competitive and because they
are forced to subsidise the cost of drugs themselves due to
shortfalls in NHS funding levels for drugs. Many pharmacists are
leaving their roles for better pay and working conditions
elsewhere;
4)
The Government needs to recognise the pressures
pharmacies face and provide better support and funding to ensure
that recruitment and retention issues and challenges are addressed.
This will help prevent further closures of pharmacies across
Kirklees and across the country.
This Council, therefore,
resolves that:
The Leader of the Council will write to the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to demand that the Government devises an evidence-led workforce plan for community pharmacies to help tackle recruitment and retention issues.”
Decision:
Item not considered (due to time constraints).