Why pharmacies are indispensable to NHS and high streets – The Yorkshire Post says

Now Ministers have made a landmark announcement that will enable every NHS pharmacy in England to be able to provide blood pressure checks to people aged 40. It is estimated that 3,700 strokes and 2,500 heart attacks could be prevented, and around 2,000 lives saved, each year as a result of this foresight.

Belated recognition that all high street chemists are an integral part of the NHS ‘family’, this announcement has the potential to ease the workload of GPs and community nurses.

With luck, this announcement will signal a more proactive approach towards public health – early intervention remains the best remedy of all – and, hopefully, make it easier for more face-to-face appointments to resume at those GP surgeries that have still been unable to do so following the Covid pandemic.

But the full benefits to the NHS will only be accrued if there’s adequate provision of pharmacies across the country – and, specifically, those areas where the health needs are greatest due to the demographics of the local population.

And that is why rules governing the provision of pharmacies need to be tightened – the 11,000-strong network of pharmacies now needs to be maintained and enhanced so that the health of customers and local residents is not put at risk.

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