Minister supports call to fix Hampton Pharmacy provision
MP for Twickenham, Munira Wilson, has spoken in Parliament on pharmacy provision in Hampton.
Two Boots pharmacies closed in Hampton in autumn 2023, which has led to local residents not being able to access essential pharmacy services. An application to open a new pharmacy on the site has been rejected. Healthwatch Richmond heard from over 700 people, many of whom had been forced to queue for extensive periods of time in all weathers.
During the parliamentary session Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, described the pharmacy rejection process as "perverse". She underlined that:
"it is also utterly unreasonable that timely applications to open pharmacies in response to multiple closures should be inherently prevented in this way. The delays in sharing information with the local health and wellbeing board and the delays in decision making are unforgivable."
Following Munira Wilson's statement, Andrew Gwynne, Under-Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Care, addressed the situation:
"I instructed officials to ask her ICB to consider her concerns again. I hear that she has had a reply that was not particularly helpful. Again, I hope that her ICB is watching this debate, and listening to her case and to me as the Minister saying from the Dispatch Box that we take these issues seriously."
Case Study:
Gill, 87, lives in Hampton. She takes several prescriptions, and before her local pharmacy closed, she used this service regularly.
There used to be a (Boots) pharmacy very close to her home. The service was next to a supermarket with ample parking, which made it even more convenient and accessible. It was always busy, and many people in the local area relied on it.
“There was always a queue,” Gill explained. “I can’t walk very well, but I could always get there though as it was just across the road from my house.”
However, this pharmacy shut suddenly in autumn 2023. Gill doesn’t recall seeing any advance notice of the closure, and she is frustrated by the decision to shut down the service.
“The company passed their financial problems on to us,” Gill says. “It wouldn’t matter as much if another company opened a pharmacy on the site, but instead it seems they’re turning it into a fish and chips shop!”
Now, the nearest pharmacy branch is over a mile away, and Gill (who doesn’t drive) can’t access this service due to the distance she’d have to walk to get there. She even paid the pharmacy to deliver her medicines to her home each month. However, in the eight months since she purchased the delivery service, they’ve only shown up twice. Her carer has to travel into town to collect the medication in person.
“I find the current situation of chemist loss in Hampton quite difficult to cope with. It is totally frustrating and a most difficult situation.”
Following the Boots pharmacy closures, a pharmacy application was submitted to NHS England (NHSE) on the 16th November 2023. Regulations require applications to be determined within 4 months. However, on 7th July 2024, just short of 8 months later, the application was rejected by the Market Entry Team, hosted by North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB), due to a technicality that should have been apparent months earlier.
“Given that NEL ICB’s decision to reject the application rested on evidence that was apparent in December 2023, it is concerning that this decision was not taken until July 2024.
We deeply regret that this matter was not settled within the required timeframe. The applicants were not advised of the issue in a timely manner and thus have not been able to resubmit an application until 8 months later. Most pressingly however, the residents of Hampton are left without a pharmacy and with no idea of when one will open.
Despite a clear need in the area and pharmacists willing to open new businesses there, it is quite possible that pharmacy provision will never be restored to these residents unless applications are processed in a more timely and considered way.” - Mike Derry Chief Officer, Healthwatch Richmond
Since the emergence of this major healthcare access issue, Healthwatch Richmond have tirelessly campaigned for the opening of a new pharmacy in Hampton. We have conducted extensive research, hearing from one in six households in Hampton North and published a thorough report demonstrating the hugely detrimental impact of the pharmacy closures on the population.
We are incredibly grateful to Munira Wilson MP who has supported us in campaigning for a resolution to this intolerable situation through questions in parliament and the Friday 26th July Adjournment Debate.
We also would like to express gratitude for the support of local NHS (South West London Integrated Care Board) and Local Authority colleagues in seeing this matter resolved.
"Our pharmacies play a vital role in the community - dispensing medicines, offering free advice and promoting good health. The lengthy delay in deciding on the 2023 Tangley Park (Hampton North) pharmacy application is unacceptable and frustrating for our residents and our community deserves much timelier decision making to ensure they have access to these essential services. It's crucial that future applications are handled efficiently to avoid further inconvenience and support the wellbeing of our residents." - Councillor Piers Allen, Chair of the Adult Social Services, Health and Housing Services Committee for Richmond Council and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board
We asked decision makers for assurance that new applications will be resolved expediently to see the needs of our community in Hampton met as soon as possible. Unfortunately, their response failed to answer our questions - breaching their statutory duty to respond to a Healthwatch. They also declined to take any action to ensure that future applications are dealt with more swiftly and sensibly, despite the intervention of ourselves, Munira Wilson MP and the Minister.
You can find our Letter of Concern on the link below.
