EXCLUSIVE

Conservative politicians are “burying [their] heads in the sand” when it comes to the consequences of the pharmacy funding cuts, says Labour MP Paula Sherriff,

These MPs are unwilling to speak out against their government’s plan to slash pharmacy funding in England by 6% because they are “very partisan”, said Ms Sherriff, who is also treasurer of the all-party pharmacy group (APPG).

Conservative politicians “don’t want to acknowledge” the impact of the funding cuts, Ms Sherriff said C+D in an exclusive interview in Westminster last week (February 3).

“You are unlikely to get many Conservatives putting their head above the parapet. Nothing happens hugely quickly unless it is driven by the government,” Ms Sherriff said.

During the interview, the MP for Dewsbury gave her views on a strategy to fight the cuts, pharmacy minister Alistair Burt’s attitude to funding, and the need for the government to clarify its plans for the sector.

Fighting strategy

Ms Sherriff plans to “saturate parliament” with questions about the funding drop. The cuts are not “sexy enough” to be mentioned in Prime Minister’s Questions, which take place every Wednesday, she said.

Instead, a debate in Westminster Hall – where individual MPs can raise issues of particular importance – “might be the way forward”, Ms Sherriff said.

Meeting the minister

Ms Sherriff was present at the meeting last month when Mr Burt admitted that up to 3,000 pharmacies could close as a result of the cuts. Reflecting on the meeting, Ms Sherriff said that, although she got the impression the funding cuts were a “done deal”, she also felt the APPG might be able to “influence how the cuts were implemented”.

It would be “futile” to meet with Mr Burt soon because he will say “exactly the same thing” he said in January. “We want to see where the [funding] talks with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) go and then we will meet with him and see how we can influence him,” she said.

“Alistair Burt is one of the better [ministers], but he is working in a department that is bringing down the axe on services,” she said.

Call for clarity

Ms Sherriff echoed recent calls by PSNC for the government to clarify its future plans for pharmacy funding.

“At some point [the government] will have to be clear about the process they will be using to determine whether a pharmacy is no longer viable,” she said. “When we asked them about that in the earlier meeting they were very clear it would be up to the pharmacy to decide if they were viable or not – that made us feel uncomfortable.”

The government’s suggestion that up to 3,000 pharmacies could close is “very ambiguous”, while its announcement that the global sum would stand at a “maximum” of £2.63 billion from October “fills me with concern”, she added. “We want more clarity.”

 

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