MP raises concerns over planned pharmacy

Sep 5 2008 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

EDDISBURY MP Stephen O’Brien fears plans to open a village pharmacy could undermine the financial viability of a rural GP.

Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust (WCPCT) is considering an application to open a chemist in Christleton.

But Mr O’Brien is concerned this would affect the viability of Dr Andrew Campbell’s Tarporley practice, which has a satellite surgery in Waverton and relies on the income from dispensing medicines to support its essential services.

The MP fears the PCT is attempting to classify Christleton and Waverton as “urban”, which would prevent Dr Campbell from dispensing to the more than 1,000 patients there and give the green light to the pharmacy proposal.

In a letter to PCT chief executive Helen Bellairs, he wrote: “I understand your pharmacy development committee is trying to class Waverton and Christleton as urban and part of Chester. This is patent nonsense – they are distinct villages, they are cut off from Chester by the A55, and, most recently by the withdrawal of bus services to Chester.”

Mr O’Brien told The Chronicle: “I remain deeply concerned the effect of any changes will be to put at risk yet again community services in the rural area for my constituents who value the doctor’s ability to dispense. This is on top of the reduction in post offices and bus services.

“The old, the young and the most vulnerable suffer the hardest every time the clunking fist of state bureaucracy attacks our community services.”

The PCT released a statement to explain the situation concerning pharmaceutical services in the communities of Waverton and Christleton following concerns.

PCT chief executive Helen Bellairs said: “To clarify, we are not considering a proposal to close the dispensary service in Waverton, we are actually considering an application from a pharmacist to open a new pharmacy in Christleton. This would be an additional pharmacy in our area.”

The PCT understands the extra competition that would result from the pharmacy is adding to GPs’ worries brought about by the Government’s White Paper on the future of Community Pharmacy published earlier this year.

This includes proposals to change the rules relating to family doctors who are allowed to dispense medicines because they work in rural areas.

Mrs Bellairs added: “Some GPs have expressed concern about these proposals as they use some of the profits they make from dispensing medicines to run branch surgeries. This new policy is adding to the concerns about the proposal to open a pharmacy in Christleton.”

She said the PCT would “explore” ways of funding essential services – such as employing an extra doctor or nurse – if a practice could demonstrate it was generating income through dispensing medicines which was being ploughed directly back into such services.

A consultation period over whether Christleton should be classified as urban or rural has been extended until September 13. The PCT will then consider the pharmacy application in the light of that decision.