Plan to close Portsmouth pharmacy causes concern among councillors and MP

During a discussion on the sector at Wednesday’s (February 15) meeting of the city council’s health and wellbeing board, councillors revealed plans were in place for the closure of the Rowlands Pharmacy in London Road in a merger with its Kingston Crescent branch.

The issue has also been raised by Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt who has written to the Integrated Care Board urging it to support its continued operation.

Rowlands Pharmacy has yet to submit its application requesting the merger but Ms Mordaunt said the news had been confirmed by a former manager. The company has not responded to requests for comment.

Should it go ahead, it would be the latest closure by the company in the city, following similar decisions for its Elm Grove and Eastney Road pharmacies. Alongside these, Drayton Community Pharmacy has given notice to close and Lloyds has listed several for sale.

‘Many areas in our city, including Hilsea, are facing a shortage of pharmacies, which can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing,’ Hilsea ward councillor Daniel Wemyss said. ‘In Hilsea, there is currently only one pharmacy serving the entire area which is a major inconvenience or residents, particularly those who are elderly or have mobility issues.’

He said it was ‘crucial’ steps were taken to preserve provision, including allowing replacement companies to take over the Rowlands business.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, his fellow ward councillor, Scott Payter-Harris, said this would leave a ‘gap’.

‘This merger cannot and should not be allowed to happen,’ he said. ‘It would be a disaster for Hilsea leaving no provision for the vast majority of the ward,’ adding that a campaign had now been launched to prevent the closure.

The two councillors have launched a campaign to keep a pharmacy in London Road.

The council is working on a new pharmaceutical needs assessment, despite only publishing its most recent version in October, in response to recent closures in a bid to address concerns around provision across the city by opposing future mergers.

Councillor Suzy Horton, who opposed last year’s closure of the Rowlands Pharmacy in Elm Grove said her fears around the move had come true, echoing concerns around and further reduction in provision.

‘We are seeing people desperate for medication and inefficiency creating potentially serious situations but also removing people’s independence is a crucial thing,’ she said.

Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said that NHS England had been ‘pathetic’ in its response to requests for pharmacy closures in the city and said that he hoped the new assessment would provide ‘backbone’ to oppose any new closure requests.

The new document would cover the next three years and identifies a need for new pharmacies in Southsea, Farlington and Drayton in response to recent losses. A consultation on it will begin in the coming weeks after being approved by the city council’s health and wellbeing board.