Medicines and Medical Devices Bill

Lord Bhatia Excerpts

2nd reading & 2nd reading (Hansard) & 2nd reading (Hansard): House of Lords
Wednesday 2nd September 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bhatia (Non-Afl) [V]]

My Lords, this Bill is being debated against the background of the UK exiting the EU by the end of this year and the Covid-19 pandemic, which has paralysed this country and virtually the whole world. It covers a multitude of subjects, from medical devices and medicines, to research and consultation with the medical community and the general public. I will comment on Part 1, entitled “Human Medicines.”

This vast Bill ultimately will affect every citizen in this country. Many of us have illnesses and depend on our NHS. Our GPs are our first contact; they assess our health conditions and decide on the next step of treatment. The enormous responsibility that GPs carry is truly awesome. Their work decides our fate, whether medication is needed and whether to send us to a consultant or to an NHS hospital. Few of us realise that our GP practices have budgetary problems.

Next in line are the pharmacists, who deliver the medications prescribed by GPs. In the lockdown era, they must deliver those medications to our homes. We are rightly recognising and applauding the work of our NHS hospitals, doctors, surgeons, nurses and other staff, but few of us recognise the work of the pharmacies. They work long hours. In most cities and towns a pharmacy is open 24 hours a day. They too have budgetary problems. Before the pandemic they could run profitably, since customers collected their medications and, while doing so, could buy other, non-medical items, ranging from toothbrushes to perfumes and soaps. Because of the lockdown, that extra trade has disappeared and none of us realises that pharmacies may now be running at a loss. Supermarkets have their own pharmacies and competing products. There should be better recognition of the work of pharmacies and some level of subsidy provided following the lockdown.