Star comment: Bitter pill if chemists are closed

In the wake of the mass closure of smaller post offices over the past few years, there is now a new threat which is unfolding, and that is the closure of chemists.

Because of Government moves to slash subsidies to community pharmacies, by one estimate a quarter of Shropshire's chemists – that would be around 23 – are at risk, although it could be even worse because of the rural catchments of some of them will leave them less robust.

And, as with the closure of the post offices, it will be the most vulnerable among Salopians who will feel the impact most, while all will feel the inconvenience through losing another local service.

The people who have accumulating health issues which make them regular visitors to their local chemist to pick up prescriptions tend to be the older members of our community. If the chemist closes, what then? How will they get their prescriptions? Those who remain fit and mobile and are still driving will be faced with making a journey, but those of less good health and less mobility have a real problem.

With post offices there have been local initiatives which have in some places ensured that there is still a service, typically by housing a post office counter in some other premises, like a shop. Doing the same with chemists may prove more problematic, as they stock drugs, with all the rules and regulations which come with that. If they are successfully relocated, the price may come in having to hold considerably reduced stock, which would mean that more people going in for their prescriptions would have to wait for them to be put on order.

There cannot be many villages nowadays which enjoy the luxury of having a village chemist, so this threat is extending the community damage to Shropshire's smaller towns. In other words, it is Shropshire townsfolk, rather than villagers, who are going to bear the brunt of the widening of the trend.

The move is to be particularly abhorred because it is in direct contradiction to the modern efforts to beef up chemists so that they have more to offer, and so take some of the pressure from GPs and other aspects of the National Health Service.