Stop Conservative cuts to local Pharmacies

As many as 3,000 community pharmacies are at risk after the Department of Health announced it was cutting their funding by £170 million. The Government is leaving the firm impression that it is more concerned with balancing budgets than getting value for money. Paul Chaplin, who is campaigning against these cuts with Medway Liberal Democrats, said, "As a Liberal Democrat I believe that we need to deliver more medical and clinical services nearer to where people live".

This is where the humble chemist can come in. We underrate the skills of the pharmacists on our High Streets. Chemists provide vital clinical and medical service at an excellent standard. They provide these services to the local community acting as a healthcare hub.

Paul Chaplin is standing in the Rainham Central by-election and has worked as an auditor, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, for over 20 years. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate in last General Election and has the skills and experience to hold the Conservatives to account in Medway. He is also a Governor at Robert Napier School and Temple Mill School, part of the Howard Trust which includes Howard School.

The only way we can 'Save the NHS' is by thinking through the way it does business and change the culture of people who use its services. In the future pharmacies can become mini health centres from which a range of services can be provided. There is a massive amount of NHS resource which should not be cut, but expanded to provide cost-effective and localised delivery. This also frees up GP appointments as pharmacists can treat many common minor ailments.
The government cuts are ideologically driven and undermine the sustainability of pharmacies across the country. Join our campaign to stop the cuts.