About us » DDA Press Releases » The DDA launches its 2024 General Election Manifesto
March 28th 2024
The Dispensing Doctors’ Association (DDA) calls on election candidates to work together to improve NHS healthcare services for rural constituents. The DDA’s 2024 election manifesto makes two key calls to action:
DDA chairman Dr Richard West MBE describes the opportunity of the 2024 election as creating a secure future for dispensing GPs. He says: “The current model of dispensing GP practice is proven as the most cost-effective solution to delivering rural health services; popular with patients, and it has been shown by the regulator to deliver safer, more effective, more caring and responsive services, with better quality leadership.”
He adds: “Please ensure that any policy to restructure GP services does not damage the excellent and cost-effective service model already available in rural areas.”
Dispensing doctors are general practitioners (GPs) who provide primary healthcare to around 9.9 million rural patients. Almost 3.5 million of these patients live remotely from a community pharmacy; at the patient's request the NHS dispensing doctor is allowed to dispense the medicines they prescribe for these patients.
The DDA represents over 6,600 dispensing doctors currently working in approximately 1,100 dispensing practices across the UK. It is the only organisation that specifically represents the interests of dispensing doctors and their 9.9 million patients. In total, around 7 per cent of all NHS prescription items are dispensed by dispensing doctors.
The DDA’s election 2024 manifesto is available online in the following formats.
DDA Full manifesto
If you would like any more information on dispensing GPs and on the challenges of delivering rural healthcare services, or to visit a dispensing GP practice, please contact the Dispensing Doctors’ Association office on: email: office@dispensingdoctor.org, tel: 0330 333 6323 Web: www.dispensingdoctor.org
