AN MP has joined a campaign against cuts to the pharmacy budget following fears it may cause the closure of rural services.

Pharmacies are facing a six per cent cut to their budgets following an announcement by the Department of Health that funding will fall by at least £170 million in 2016/17, leaving those in rural areas fearing they may be forced to shut.

Whitworth Pharmacy in Cockfield, County Durham, raised the issue with Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman, who has joined a campaign against the cut.

Whitworth’s superintendent pharmacist Jay Badenhorst said: “This could result in a quarter of pharmacies closing and the ones in rural areas are the most under threat. If a place like this had to close the loss would be phenomenal. The impact on patients would be huge and the impact on GPs would be massive as well.

“With us doing a relatively low level of prescriptions we’re definitely at risk.”

Cockfield pharmacist Ali Almamouri added: “It’s going to be a death knock to the community. A lot of customers have been coming in saying they don’t know what they would so if there was no pharmacy. It would be a devastating blow to the Cockfield community.”

The Department of Health wrote to pharmacists in December to tell them the funding for community pharmacies would fall from £2.8 billion to £2.63 billion, with the reduction to take effect from October.

The open letter says: “The Government believes those efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. In some parts of the country there are more pharmacies than are necessary to maintain good access.”

It adds that two fifths of pharmacies are within ten minutes walk of two or more other pharmacies and says the aim of the cut is to encourage pharmacies to be more efficient and make better use of the internet to allow people to order prescriptions online.

Mrs Goodman said: “I believe the cut pharmacies are facing is a false economy. By taking over 6% out of funding, the government will reduce pharmacies’ capabilities and in turn place more pressure on GPs and A&Es, both of which are costly options. It will also lead to worse services for patients.”

Speaking in a parliamentary debate she called on health minister Alistair Burt to consider rural communities. She said: “It is important that he addresses the rural dimension of not continuing to provide proper support for pharmacists, who can provide significant benefits to public health.”

Consultation on the proposals continues until March 24.