FRESH fears for the future of the region’s pharmacies have been reignited after the industry has been warned to expect severe cuts to services.

Pharmacies in England are facing "damaging" Government cuts which could force some to close, the industry's negotiating body has warned.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said it has been told it faces cuts of 12 per cent in the current financial year, with more to follow in the year after.

PSNC chief executive Sue Sharpe said if pharmacies were forced to close it would simply add to the pressures on the rest of health service as more people would turn to their GPs.

Ms Sharpe said they were facing cuts of £113m in the final three months of the current financial year with further cuts of £200m in 2017-18.

"It is madness and it is so damaging to the people who use pharmacies every day, it is so damaging to the NHS and it so damaging to social care because a lot of this burden will fall on the NHS in other places and on social care," she said.

In the North East and North Yorkshire, many small or rural communities depend on pharmacies for a wide range of services – and they are vital in areas of deprivation, said Mark Burdon, PSNC North East regional representative.

“Over the course of the last 24 hours, David Mowat MP made an announcement about how pharmacies should work within emergency care, taking referrals from 111 and reducing pressure from GPS,” he said.

“This is what pharmacists have been saying for years – but we expect a further announcement early next week that the Government intend to proceed with the cuts as planned.”

He said pharmacies are often the life blood of communities, serving the most vulnerable people.

“Pharmacies do so much more than give out prescriptions. If the cuts are announced we will continue to fight them all the way.”

Jack Davies, chief executive of Community Pharmacy North Yorkshire, echoed Mr Burdon’s concerns.

He said: “Every family will have someone who regularly uses pharmacies, but it is often elderly or vulnerable people that use them the most.

“People often feel more comfortable to speak to pharmacists than doctors because it is in a more informal setting – and pharmacists are experts in their field so can generally prevent the need for someone to have to go to hospital.”

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson has received almost 300 campaign cards signed by concerned patients at Trimdon and Sedgefield.

Pharmacist at AD Philips Colin Vallance told Mr Wilson that almost 2,000 patients of the pharmacies in the Trimdons and Sedgefield had signed the National Pharmacy Association petition urging the Government to abandon its plans to cut pharmacy funding.

Mr Wilson said: “We know that A&E departments are stretched and people are told to use pharmacies more – how can they do that if they have to close?

“Areas that are the most deprived often have the most people suffering from industrial illness and will be the most affected. It is a big concern and will only make these communities feel even more neglected.”

The Department of Health said no final decisions had been taken regarding funding levels for pharmacies.

"We want to modernise the pharmacy sector - giving patients the best care by making the most of pharmacists' skills. That's why we are investing £112 million to deliver a further 1,500 pharmacists in general practice by 2020," a spokesman said.

"We have worked collaboratively with the PSNC and have listened to their suggestions and counter-proposals over the course of many months.

"Ministers are considering a proposed package for the sector and no final decision has been taken, but we are committed to offering more help to those pharmacies people most depend on compared to others."