Pharmacy funding crisis; why Boris Johnson must act – The Yorkshire Post says

The Prime Minister said he was “particularly grateful” for their efforts in the vaccine roll-out.

However Mr Johnson’s words risk becoming insincere unless he takes urgent action to resolve the funding growing dispute between the Treasury and local pharmacies, particularly independent stores, over the repayment of additional costs incurred during the pandemic. It’s even prompted threats of strike action from some chemists who feel betrayed. They feel that strongly.

As Britain prepares for the next phase of a vaccination programme that, it must be said, is surpassing all expectations, the nationwide network of 11,000 pharmacies will come into its own and assist the NHS with meeting future targets so that the economy can reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

With GP surgeries under immense pressure, the onus will fall on pharmacies to become vaccine hubs, superseding the makeshift centres that have been set up at sites like the Great Yorkshire Showground.

But this will not be possible if pharmacies are allowed to fall by the wayside over financial sums that are a fraction of some of the more eye-watering Covid contracts signed off by Ministers and which are now the subject of cronyism allegations. And, as Mr Johnson intimated, pharmacists are far more trusted – and far more likely to command the confidence of those reluctant to receive Covid jabs – than other parts of society. That’s why there now needs to be an injection of common sense.

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