Earlier, a report from the National Pharmacy Association warned that many rural areas are at risk of becoming 'pharmacy deserts' if the current rate of pharmacy closures continues
The Dispensing Doctors’ Association (DDA) is advising patients left deserted due to pharmacy closures in rural areas to consult their general practice about accessing the GP dispensing service.
This recommendation comes in response to concerns that England’s rural areas are increasingly becoming pharmacy ‘deserts’, posing challenges for residents to access essential medications and healthcare services.
DDA chairman Dr Richard West said: “The GP dispensing service is designed to ensure NHS medicine supply in areas where people have little or no access to a pharmacy service.
“People in rural areas who now live more than a mile from a pharmacy should speak to their GP about whether they can receive the NHS GP dispensing service."
A new analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) found that rural areas have been
A recent analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has found that rural areas have been hit the hardest by a wave of pharmacy closures over the past two years.
Published on Tuesday, the report revealed that 17 of the 20 council areas with the lowest number of pharmacies per 100,000 people were in rural locations.
It also cautions that if the current rate of closures persists, many rural regions could face the risk of becoming “pharmacy deserts.”
The analysis also revealed that West Berkshire has the lowest pharmacies per 100,000 people in the country, with more than four times fewer pharmacies compared to Westminster, which has the highest pharmacy provision.
However, the DDA highlighted that the county is served by at least 12 dispensing GP practices, offering NHS medicine dispensing and other services to 44,100 patients – over a third of their total registered patients.
The NPA asserted that pharmacy closures in rural towns and villages may force people to travel greater distances for essential medication, and urged the government to reverse budget cuts.
NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: “These shocking statistics show how a growing number of areas are at risk of becoming pharmacy deserts, with people in rural towns and villages having to travel longer and longer distances to get hold of the medication they need.”
However, the DDA argued that dispensing patients can access medication from a dispensing GP without even having to leave the GP surgery.
Sukhi Basra