IT was heartening to see another ‘victory for common sense’ as officials finally gave permission for a new pharmacy in Carclaze – a much-welcomed U-turn on a previous refusal.

Only days before, there had been another reversal by officials on plans to move the macular unit from Wheal Northey to Treliske – which have thankfully also been scrapped, saving patients with vision problems the hassle of travelling to Truro.

Having campaigned for better healthcare in the constituency, I am pleased that, in parallel, our Labour Government has been listening to the desperate calls for GP spaces, and awarded funding to Newquay Health Centre and Brannel Surgery for refurbishments that will enable additional appointments.

When I was elected, I pledged to work to revitalise our towns, and ensure that, when we build housing, we get the right kind of infrastructure and services along with it.

Several constituents have written to me and shared challenges with using pharmacies, including long wait times, a lack of availability, and issues around mobility and public transport.

I was happy to support an appeal against the initial decision by NHS England to refuse permission for a new pharmacy at Carclaze. Together with town councillors, Labour is fighting for what local residents need in St Austell.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for pharmacists - who are experts in medicines within the NHS and are a highly trusted part of our communities. But through no fault of their own, and despite working extremely hard, they had effectively become the “fall guys” for public frustration linked to the appalling contract mechanism left by the previous government – which had made it very difficult commercially to run a pharmacy. I raised this issue in parliament – calling for staff to be properly remunerated. 

I am proud that in parallel, our Government is putting its money where its mouth is on addressing this neglect and rebuilding our community pharmacy sector – with £3-billion of funding agreed for the coming year – the first full year funding package to be agreed by the sector since 2023. As part of the package, the Government has written off £193-million of debt for community pharmacy owners.

I also support the recognition of how important pharmacies are in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, which proposes using community pharmacies to shift care out of hospitals and into our community. Over the next five years, community pharmacy will transition from being focused largely on dispensing medicines to becoming integral to the Neighbourhood Health Service, offering more clinical services.

This will include pharmacies offering support in the management of long-term health conditions, complex medication regimes, and the treatment of obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The plan also aims for pharmacies to play a bigger role in prevention, expanding their roles in vaccine delivery and in screening for the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

I genuinely believe the Government’s approach is a win-win for everyone - transforming the pharmacy sector and enabling pharmacy staff to spend more time on patient care and patients to access new and better services.