Pharmacy Provision: Hampton

In the House of Commons, a minister delivered a statement addressing the impact of pharmacy closures on local communities, particularly in the Hampton area of their constituency. The minister began by congratulating the Deputy Speaker on their election and the new Minister on their appointment, noting their previous collaboration on the all-party parliamentary group on kinship care. The minister expressed delight at securing this Adjournment debate, which they stated was the first they had managed to secure since their election in 2019. The focus of the statement was to bring the Minister's attention to the consequences of pharmacy closures in the Hampton area, as well as the significant financial challenges facing the community pharmacy sector across England. The minister provided context, explaining that last autumn, two Boots pharmacies in the Hampton area were closed, leaving the entire Hampton North ward, one of the most deprived areas in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames, without a community pharmacy. The minister highlighted the poor public transport connectivity in the area, making it difficult for the elderly and those with mobility issues to access the nearest pharmacy, which is now a mile away. The statement praised the work of local organizations, such as Healthwatch Richmond, for their advocacy on behalf of the affected residents. The minister shared the experiences of residents, including an 87-year-old woman who struggled to access her medication due to the pharmacy's closure and unreliable delivery service. The minister emphasized that the situation in Hampton is not unique, citing data from the Community Chemists' Association that shows a net loss of over 1,200 pharmacies in England since 2015, with more than a third of those losses occurring in the most deprived areas. The statement also highlighted the significant real-terms reduction in funding for the pharmacy sector, which has dropped by around 30% since 2015, as a major driver of these closures. The minister concluded the statement by expressing concerns about the bureaucratic processes involved in new pharmacy license applications and pharmacy closures, which they believe need to be overhauled.