My bathroom cabinet resembles a small chemist’s shop.
A variety of irritating health issues mean I use five different drugs, two inhalers and other patches and potions. And I get prescriptions filled so often that I’m now on first name terms with my local independent pharmacist. She gave me a flu jab recently and a cholesterol test last summer.
When Boots was charging £87 for one privately prescribed medication, she managed to find a generic alternative I could get for £8.40. And it was the pharmacist who suggested I needed further investigations for a recurrent “infection” when she noticed I had been given another lot of antibiotics.
So after two years of phone consultations about it, I insisted on seeing a doctor in person. And that examination resulted in an urgent scan, blood tests and a specialist referral.
I saw the consultant on Tuesday and it’s nothing sinister, thank heavens. But I’ve got a proper diagnosis now and have started the correct course of treatment. And that’s all because my pharmacist knows ME and is much more au fait with my medical history than the overworked GPs at my huge, recently merged practice, who no longer have designated patient lists.
England’s 6,600 independent and family-run pharmacies provide health and social care services to millions of people, reducing the pressure on hard-pressed doctors and beleaguered A&E departments.
They did incredible work during the pandemic and would love to do even more, with figures suggesting they could halve the amount that the NHS spends on GP appointments.
And yet this vital community lifeline is at risk of financial disaster. Because while drug prices spiral and inflation soars, the funding they get from the Government to dispense prescriptions has been frozen since 2015.
One in ten have already gone out of business and a third could close within the next two years.
The body representing pharmacists has launched a four-point plan to see them through this crisis. But they also want funding to provide clinical services to people with conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, the ability to prescribe medications for minor ailments and the chance to promote healthier lifestyles through weight loss and anti-smoking schemes.
Surely this is a no-brainer for the Government and a PM whose own mother was an independent pharmacist?
People trust pharmacists and can see what a valuable lifeline they provide. It’s time for the Government to start valuing them too by prescribing a restorative financial remedy.
