Like many Knott End residents, I am deeply concerned about the recent JHoots pharmacy closures in Knott End. It’s a very worrying trend, especially for more rural areas like Knott End where residents could be forced to travel many more miles for prescriptions, and hopefully one which can be reversed under the new Labour Government, and I look forward to seeing new Health and Social Care legislation to better protect community pharmacies.
In Knott End specifically, these short term closures are forcing residents to travel to Hambleton and beyond to pick up their prescriptions. I have been contacted by concerned residents for weeks, who are faced with reduced opening hours and a less reliable service than in the past due to a lack of pharmacists, risking the need to travel many miles for basic prescriptions.
Despite the excellent work of the team at Over Wyre Medical Centre, they have been prevented from dispensing medication due to Department of Health and Social Care regulations. Cat has written to the Department to advocate for change to make it easier for the people of Knott End to get the prescriptions they need.
07/01/25: Letter to the Department of Health and Social Care
10/02/25: UPDATE: Response from the Department of Health and Social Care
Response from Cat Smith MP:
I hope that the government will look again to change the relevant regulations on this issue, although I have been frustrated by the lack of progress on this issue, and I will continue to find a local solution through the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.
My hope is that with the abolishing of NHS England there will be more control for the state to make decisions on what defines a “controlled locality” and “reserved locations”, but ultimately the model of profit-driven privatised medication dispensing is clearly not working for too many people in rural areas where private pharmacies struggle to recruit and retain a qualified pharmacist, and often split one person over several locations, leaving communities like in Knott End without vital medication.