A great deal of concern has been expressed recently about Government plans to drastically reduce funding to pharmacies and tonight Walsall Councillors will get the opportunity to discuss the effects these plans to residents across the borough.

The Liberal Democrats have already said that they will be voting to oppose the move by supporting a notice of motion to council calling on the Secretary of State for Health to abandon the cut in funding.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Ian Shires will say at tonight’s meeting:

No matter how you dress it up the Westminster Government’s plans to redistribute funding to local pharmacies across the country it has more to do with achieving their goal of cutting £170 million of funding from the service than improving efficiency.

If it were about improving efficiency, then it would have made more sense if they had taken an holistic view of how local pharmacies fit within the whole process of providing a joined-up health service.

The fact that it doesn’t means that local Pharmacies right across Walsall are under threat from this the latest Conservative cut to the National Health Service budget.

These real terms cash cuts to pharmacies could be about to take their toll right here in our town and district centres.

Pharmacies across the borough which are used by hundreds if not thousands of local people could be facing closure, cutting off lifeline services for many of our elderly and vulnerable residents.

For many people the trip to get vital medicines from the pharmacy is long enough as it is without making matters worse cutting money to local pharmacies is nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul. It will only increase the strain on hospitals and GP’s practices at a time when the NHS is already in enough trouble.

The planned £170million reduction in NHS funding for community pharmacies will put pharmacies right across the Black Country out of business.

Local community pharmacies are vital to keep older frail people independent and need to be at the heart of our communities on our high streets and in our shopping precincts, on the front line in the fight to ensure that people only go into our hard-pressed hospitals if they absolutely have to.

Walsall’s Liberal Democrat will be supporting this Notice of Motion to contact the Secretary of State for Health, NHS England and Walsall’s Clinical Commissioning Group expressing concern at this latest Government attack on our National Health Service and demanding an immediate reversal of this ill thought out policy.