MPs support pharmacy provision of oxygen
Government ministers have been urged to reverse the decision to transfer the delivery of oxygen away from pharmacies to private companies.
MP Linda Riordan (Lab, Halifax) tabled an Early-Day motion, signed by
38 fellow MPs, pointing out that 60,000 people across England who rely
on oxygen will now have to wait longer to receive their supplies.
She said: “Pharmacies are community-based and aware of patients’ needs.
The Government must think again about this decision, as well as resisting
any future plans to move away from localised provision of key health
services such as these.”
Last month the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee called for
community pharmacies to be able to continue
to provide oxygen cylinders alongside the new supplier companies (PJ, 25 February, p222).
During parliamentary questions this week, health minister Jane Kennedy
said that the old system was not working well and insisted that the change
in service provision was not privatisation, but a matter of delivering
better services to patients.
Under questioning from backbench MPs she admitted that delivery of cylinders
in some areas had been a “shambles”. She said: “There
were problems and we are working hard to overcome them. I very much appreciate
the way in which community pharmacies in particular have worked with
primary care trusts to deal with the problems.” |
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