Lloyds Pharmacy is to close 190 branches as a result of government cuts, it has been claimed.
In a letter circulated to staff which was leaked online, managing director of the pharmacy, Cormac Tobin, said pharmacy funding cuts, business rates and the apprenticeship levy had made market conditions ‘challenging’.
He added: ‘With pressures in the economic and funding landscape, it is vital that we take a leading role in the evolution of community pharmacy, to ensure that our business is sustainable for the future. This has resulted in us having to take some difficult decisions, which will mean us making some changes to our operations.
Lloyds Pharmacy is to close 190 branches as a result of government cuts, it has been claimed
In a letter circulated to staff which was leaked online, managing director of the pharmacy, Cormac Tobin, said pharmacy funding cuts, business rates and the apprenticeship levy had made market conditions ‘challenging’
‘Today I am announcing that we will cease to trade in approximately 190 of our pharmacies in England, through a combination store closures and divestments.’
The pharmacy is owned by Coventry-based company Celesio. It has more than 1,500 pharmacies across the UK and employs around 17,000 staff.
It is not clear how many jobs will be lost.
Pharmacist Thorrun Govind, who is based in the north west, told the MailOnline: ‘Pharmacies are accessible and available to patients and the loss of these pharmacies will be to the detriment of patients.
‘Reducing access to a qualified healthcare professional, to provide medicines and advice, increases pressure on other parts of the NHS.
‘Pharmacists prevent unnecessary use of other NHS resources. This is a very sad result following on from one of the largest healthcare petitions to stop pharmacy cuts.’
Staff confirmed to queries on Twitter that the closures were true, and could not confirm how many jobs will be lost
In a statement issued to MailOnline, Mr Tobin said: ‘Community pharmacy needs to adapt to the changing requirements of patients and the NHS, indeed it should be part of the solution to an overstretched health service.
‘To achieve this we need a new operational framework that creates a thriving pharmacy network that continues to offer essential integrated healthcare and is rooted in local communities.
‘We must respond to the dramatic funding and reimbursement cuts over the past 24 months but we will be doing all that we can to support our affected colleagues and minimise disruption for patients.’