The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7369 p402
1 October 2005

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NHS cash shortfalls will not lead to pharmacy cuts

Pharmacy services are likely to escape any spending cuts which NHS trusts may need to bring in to balance their books before the end of the financial year, the NHS Confederation said this week.

The comments by the confederation, which represents most NHS trusts, followed a survey by the British Medical Association which claimed three out of four trusts face a cash crisis this financial year. The average shortfall was £6.2m.

A third of the 120 trusts which took part in the survey claimed that services would have to be cut to clear the debt. Options being considered included bed closures, staff redundancies and a recruitment freeze — including medical posts.

Nigel Edwards, policy director for the NHS Confederation, said the survey results should be treated with caution because only a minority of trusts responded. Official figures at the end of the last financial year put the NHS deficit at just 0.4 per cent, he said.

He accepted that some trusts were having to make tough decisions because of financial pressures this year but said: “We are confident that those NHS trusts affected will implement cost-cutting measures in a way that safeguards the quality of front-line patient care and, if tough decisions are necessary, they will be taken collectively by staff, including doctors and nurses.”

A confederation spokesman told The Journal: “Pharmacy services in large hospitals are absolutely crucial and there is no way that they would be reduced. Most pharmacies are run in a pretty efficient way.”