> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Lichfield MP calls for reassurance that pharmacies won’t be overwhelmed by new GP plans
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-mp-calls-for-reassurance-that-pharmacies-wont-be-overwhelmed-by-new-gp-plans/
- Published: 2023-05-11T06:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-05-10T14:19:50.000Z
- Description: Lichfield’s MP has called for reassurances that pharmacists will not be overwhelmed by plans to reduce the pressures on GP surgeries.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Health, Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:01, News

Lichfield’s MP has called for reassurances that pharmacists will not be overwhelmed by plans to reduce the pressures on GP surgeries.

New proposals would see pharmacies able to prescribe some medications in a bid to free up appointments with doctors.

But Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said that while the new policy was welcomed, he was concerned it could move the pressures elsewhere in the healthcare system.

> “It takes five years to be awarded a Master of Pharmacy degree to become fully qualified. Continued training goes on as pharmacists advance in their career, so this is a very valuable resource and I welcome the statement by the Health Secretary.  
>  
> “My Rt Hon Friend will know that in France, for example, where it costs €26.50 to see a GP, most people would choose to see a pharmacist first.  
>  
> “My question is whether by taking pressure off general practices, is he sure that he’s not going to overwhelm pharmacists like mine in Lichfield and Burntwood and elsewhere in the Midlands?”  
>  
> Michael Fabricant

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said funding would be directed to support the new approach.

> “My Hon Friend quite rightly draws on the practice in other countries and the fact that actually patients are very willing and happy to go to pharmacists where that is more appropriate for the treatment they’re using.  
>  
> “That is what the Pharmacy First strategy is all about – and learning the lessons from that, while also thinking about some other risks around antimicrobial resistance, and making sure we mitigate around that.  
>  
> “In terms of the impact on pharmacies, this is something that the sector themselves have called for, that they have welcomed, and it responds to discussions we have had where pharmacists themselves have said they are keen to do more, but they needed the funding to go with that – that is what Pharmacy First delivers.”  
>  
> Steve Barclay