At next Monday’s full council meeting, Lynne Featherstone will move a motion to introduce a pilot scheme to help relieve pressure on local GP surgeries. The plan is based on the highly promising Croydon Pharmacy scheme, and could be of huge benefit to the area’s health services, say the Lib Dems.

The scheme has relieved pressure on GP surgery time in Croydon. People who cannot afford to buy over-the-counter remedies often go to their doctor so that they can get a prescription for such medicines in order to avoid charges. The Croydon approach uses a voucher scheme to redirect people to local pharmacies to receive their medicines for free. People receive their medicines for free and GP time is freed up for their other work.

The Lib Dems believe that Haringey is an ideal place to pilot this successful scheme – particularly in the east of the borough where there are many single-handed GPs and high numbers of patients entitled to free prescriptions.

Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone comments:”Local pharmacists are a much underutilised resource. They have expert medical knowledge, and are located in virtually every local high street. I hope Haringey Labour will accept this good idea and work with the Liberal Democrats to persuade Haringey Primary Care Trust to pilot this scheme here. It could hugely help local doctors.”

Note: the motion reads: “This Council: recognises the immense pressures on GP’s surgeries in Haringey; acknowledges the extraordinary success of the Croydon Minor Ailment Voucher Scheme in freeing up surgery time, and resolves to propose to and work in partnership with the Haringey Primary Care Trust to introduce a pilot of that scheme in Haringey; proposes as a first step a presentation of the scheme to both Council members and Haringey Primary Care Trust by those involved in the Croydon scheme.”