EXCLUSIVE

Low-volume pharmacies have warned that NHS England’s suspension of its funding decisions until after the election has put their survival in doubt.

The commissioning body’s area teams are able to extend top-up funding – designed to support small businesses at least 1km from another pharmacy – for pharmacies in their area, after a national support scheme ended on March 31. But NHS England told C+D on Monday that decisions for some of the 57 applications that had not been completed by the start of March "cannot take place during the pre-election period".

Ola Okeowo, owner of Tee Kay Enterprises in Bushey, Hertfordshire, said he had been told not to expect a decision before June. “In the meantime we won’t have any of the support of the [funding] scheme,” he told C+D. “We don’t know if we can survive like that.”

Contractor Hassan Khan of Cullimore Chemist in Edgware, London, said his area team had promised last week that it would “be in touch”, but had not provided a timeframe. “It doesn’t seem like I’m going to hear anything for a while,” he told C+D.

“It doesn’t look like anyone in London has got [a decision] and [NHS England] don’t realise I’ve got bills to pay,” he added. “They don’t seem to take account [of] if this pharmacy was to shut down.”

Faisel Baig, owner of St Mawes Pharmacy in Cornwall, said he was “still awaiting receipt of our contract”. “Verbally I’ve been told it will be a two-year contract, which to my mind is not long enough.”

Mr Baig called for the sector to “keep up the awareness of this issue”, as the temporary top-up funding he had been offered would mean his pharmacy could still be “swept under the carpet” when the money ran out in two years’ time.

Last month, C+D launched a campaign to urge decisions on continued funding for these pharmacies. C+D has drafted a letter for pharmacists and patients to send to their new MP, urging them to persuade their local NHS England area team to quickly reach a funding decision for affected pharmacies in their constituency.

 

Are you aware of any small pharmacies in your area awaiting a funding decision?

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