There are fears the closure of two pharmacies could impact residents' access to prescriptions on evenings and at the weekend in Stockport. Lloyds Pharmacy has closed its concession outlets at Sainsbury branches in Cheadle and Hazel Grove, leading to concerns that residents could struggle to access services in the evenings, as well as on Sundays and bank holidays.
It comes amid scores of closures across the country, with rising operational costs, staff shortages and reduced government financial support being blamed for the trend. The number of pharmacies in England has fallen to its lowest level since 2015, according to the NHS Business Services Authoring, while the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, says there is a shortfall of £1.1bn in funding for independent pharmacies each year.
The issue was raised at the latest meeting of the One Stockport Health and Care Locality board - a joint committee between the council and NHS partnership organisations. Ben Fryer, interim Director of Public Health at Stockport council, said that, while the closures would not impact residents’ ability to get to a pharmacy within a reasonable travel time, they would affect out of hours services - particularly in the evenings and on Sundays.
