Minister to consider jabs plan for pharmacies
A Government minister has revealed he is considering bringing more pharmacies on board in part of the Black Country to help the vaccine roll out.
Nadhim Zahawi MP said pharmacies had "stepped up" during the vaccine deployment and helped to increase confidence in the jab among communities.
The Vaccines Minister has pledged to look at whether additional pharmacies could be deployed as vaccine hubs in parts of Sandwell.
He was responding to a question from Warley MP John Spellar, who claimed there was an "institutional bias" against pharmacies by the Department of Health.
He added: "Even now, only a couple of pharmacies in Sandwell have been authorised for Covid vaccines.
"So, Minister, can I urge you to get a grip of your bureaucrats and get vaccines rolling through our Sandwell pharmacies before the Bank Holiday."
Mr Zahawi said: "I don't recognise his characterisation of the NHS team that I absolutely know work with community pharmacies and are now up to 500 community pharmacies and independent pharmacies as part of the vaccine deployment.
"We know and they've proved themselves in phase one to be excellent at reaching out to their communities and giving confidence to their communities and getting people vaccinated.
"They've stepped up in phase two as well to fill the gap where primary care has decided not to carry on. I will look at his constituency and see if we can do some more."
It comes after the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) called for Government support to help pharmacies survive following the pandemic.
