MSPs call for suspension of Castletown pharmacy application

19th November 2013

Highlands and Islands Labour MSPs, David Stewart and Rhoda Grant, have called on NHS Highland to suspend the Castletown pharmacy application with immediate effect.

The Labour MSPs had previously called on the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil, to sanction a moratorium on the granting of community pharmacy applications after concerns with previous applications were raised with them. When called on to halt applications, the Cabinet Secretary stated that he does not have the legal powers to impose a moratorium, but if he had the powers he would have used them. He did however instruct an immediate review into the legislation on the granting of community pharmacy applications and has recently advised that the review has identified a range of issues, which will lead to amended regulations.

The Health Secretary has since advised that he is looking at two aspects as part of the review, one being the criteria for approving pharmacy applications and has stated that he does not think “the current legislative framework is fit for purpose, so we are reviewing it.” The Secretary has also stated that “It became very clear to me that the community has no voice in the current application process … that is an absurd situation. I intend to bring it to an end and to put in place, sooner rather than later, a system that takes much more account of what the community needs and wants, instead of allowing large monopolies to dominate proceedings. That is exactly what we are looking at, and I will bring forward proposals to the Parliament on that."

David Stewart commented “A previous application threw up all kinds of concerns which we put to the Health Secretary. He has now agreed that legislation is ‘not fit for purpose’ and has vowed to introduce new regulations as a matter of urgency. To approve any application just now, when the Health Secretary himself has made his concerns crystal clear would be ludicrous.”

Rhoda Grant said “We were inundated with concerns relating to a previous application and we have similarly been inundated with concerns now from the Castletown and Canisbay communities too. For any application to be approved while legislation is being redrawn would be grossly unfair, not to mention unjust, on the communities involved and we have asked NHS Highland to suspend the Castletown application with immediate effect.”

David Stewart MSP and Rhoda Grant MSP had both previously called on the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil, to sanction a moratorium on the granting of community pharmacy applications after concerns over the legislation were raised by residents in the Western Isles. A decision on a hugely contentious application for a pharmacy in Benbecula is due imminently.

Link to official report:- http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=8616&mode=pdf