Labour MPs have been told of the increasing financial pressure on GP dispensaries.

In a submission to the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG) inquiry, the DDA has pointed out that in many remote, rural and coastal communities, the GP practice is one of the few public services left. However, increasingly, dispensaries are becoming less economically viable in much the same way as community pharmacies in urban communities now are. 

 

The DDA warns that rural communities could end up like their French counterparts, where 'healthcare deserts' forcing patients to travel considerable distances to get healthcare. It has submitted its latest briefing paper for England: Addressing the disparities

 

The submission states that 115 Labour MPs have 350 dispensing practices in their constituencies, serving approximately one million patients. Yet, in the experience of the DDA, attempts to engage with the Department of Health and Social Care/NHS England have been met with resistance or 'cut and paste’ written answers, which fail to address either the scale of the problem, or offer solutions.. The DDA is also critical of the urban centricity of the ten-year NHS Plan,

 

The DDA has proposed a podcast interview with LRRG Chair Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour MP, Suffolk Coastal) and, in the inquiry, has asked for the support of the LRRG for NHS dispensing GPs.