Protecting the Future of Dispensing GPs

Being within easy reach of a GP surgery and pharmacy is vital. However, for many of West Berkshire’s rural communities, healthcare access remains an ongoing concern. Not only are many of our rural areas underserved by pharmacies, but limited transport links also make it difficult for many people to reach them.  

That’s why community surgeries like the Downland Practice are so important. Serving the residents of Chieveley and Compton, the Downland Practice provides essential healthcare and pharmacy services to hundreds of patients across these villages.  

However, like many dispensing GPs, the practice is facing considerable financial pressures.  

Although they provide similar services to community pharmacies, dispensing GPs receive over 50% less funding per dispense after their funding was cut by 16% compared to previous years. 

This gap is significant, especially when the drug clawback fee is taken into account. Under this policy, pharmacies are reimbursed by the NHS for the medicines they dispense, less a certain percentage that is calculated according to a drug tariff scale.  

The scheme is designed to stop pharmacies making unintended profit on NHS‑subsidised medicines by reclaiming costs on drugs that exceed the national tariff. The problem is that the tariff rarely reflects the market price of certain medicines, especially when supply issues or medical needs mean a more expensive option must be prescribed.  

As a result, pharmacies often end up losing money simply for giving patients the medicines they need. In some cases, they may even have to request that patients collect their prescriptions from elsewhere. For rural communities like Compton and Chieveley, this isn't only impractical, but it also puts vulnerable patients at risk.  

Staff at the Downland Practice explained that without their pharmacy, the GP surgery would not be financially viable. With the next closest practice being five miles away in Newbury, its closure would have a devastating impact on patients. 

That is why I have raised the issue of dispensing GP funding with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and will be putting it on the agenda for the next All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pharmacy. 

Rural surgeries like the Downland Practice are lifelines for the communities they serve, and securing their future must be a priority.